Steampunk !!!

what is steampunk ? 


Because of it's eclectic nature Steampunk is different things to different folks.

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s.Specifically, steampunk involves an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century and often Victorian era Britain—that incorporates prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy. Works of steampunk often feature anachronistic technology or futuristic innovations as Victorians may have envisioned them; in other words, based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, art, etc. This technology may include such fictional machines as those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne or real technologies like the computer but developed earlier in an alternate history. Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of "the path not taken" for such technology as dirigibles, analog computers, or such digital mechanical computers as Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace's Analytical engine.
Steampunk is often associated with cyberpunk. They have considerable influence on each other and share a similar fan base, but steampunk developed as a separate movement. Apart from time period and level of technology, the main difference is that steampunk settings tend to be less dystopian.
Various modern utilitarian objects have been modded by individual artisans into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical "steampunk" style, and a number of visual and musical artists have been described as steampunk.

Steampunk simply embodies a time and a place. The time... the late 19th century. The place... a steam powered world, where air travel by fantastical dirigibles is as common as traveling by train or boat (or submarine). A place where national interests are vastly different than our own version of history. A place where the elegant and refined are as likely to get pulled into a grand adventure, as the workers, ruffians, and lower classes. A place where the idea of space travel is not so far fetched. A place where lost civilizations are found and lost again. A place where anything is possible, and science can be twisted to meet ones own ends. That to me is the essence of Steampunk. It can have political overtones and commentary, or it can be straight escapist fiction. Either way, if it meets these criteria. It is Steampunk.

:-Joshua A. Pfeiffer a.k.a. Vernian Process

Steampunk is the umbrella under which such things as Victorian science fiction, What if? Antiquity, Sailpunk and other hyper tech speculative history. Many purists would disagree with me, and have, but the the genre isn't that well fleshed out to be on it's own, and the same can be said of these subcategories two fold. In a definitive sense, the genre is technology and it's impact on a selected society.

:-Zacrey Monte Hansen a.k.a. Gearworks

I see it as a reaction to the utter soullessness and disposability of modern tech. There are only so many garish space-eggs and tech. bubbles you can look at before you just stop appreciating them. Steampunk harkens back to a time when technology was still novel and romantic, when the world was still marvelling at its own cleverness with childlike pride and wonder, looking hopefully toward a strange and wonderful future.

One interesting development is that slowly but surely, Steampunk seems to be evolving from an obscure and ill-defined literary/film aesthetic, into a full-blown subculture. Now we’ve got musical acts like Abney Park (who perform in full Steampunk regalia), and Vernian Process who are doing a lot of interesting things to nail down a “Steampunk sound”. Music is powerful. Once you’ve got a soundtrack, the subculture can’t be far behind. I just hope it doesn’t eventually morph into something we all regret later, like hair metal and bell bottoms.

:- Datamancer Datamancer

 

"Maison tournante aérienne" (aerial rotating house) by Albert Robida for his book Le Vingtième Siècle, a 19th-century conception of life in the 20th century