Steampunk is a unique fantasy version of 19th century Victorian England- now imbued with high tech digital devices, fantastic steam-powered machines and all manner of surreal, electro-mechanical contraptions that could only have been conjured by a mad, 21st century scientist. The “Steam” refers to steam power- as in the living, fire-breathing machines of antique locomotion. The “Punk” is the important reference to the ‘outsider’ attitude- the lone wolf artist, the DIY craftsman and the amateur engineer, who are not beholden to any contemporary style or ideology. You can bet that you won’t be seeing this kind of design in your next DWR Catalog -and that’s just the way the Steampunks want it.
Once you know where to look, Steampunk design is familiar. By reading H.G. Wells, Jules Verne or Mary Shelly or by seeing movies such as “Brazil” or “The League of Extraordinary Gentleman”, one may already have had a peek into this ingenious style. Hollywood has embraced Steampunk and often uses it as a plot foundation for it’s films (think “Wild, Wild West”). As far as Steampunk’s internet popularity is concerned, you can thank today’s young, savvy computer geeks, bloggers, gamers, authors and artists. Obviously, these creative individuals are not Luddites. They celebrate modern technology but firmly believe that the design of modern products like the ‘I-Phone’ and ‘I-Pod’ can’t possibly compete with the luxurious design of the early “Victorian Wonders” of technology.
Below are links to some of the artists on display at the show…
Amanda Scrivener
Art Donovan
Cliff Overton - Mad Uncle Cliff
Daniel Proulx
Eric Freitas
Haruo Suekichi
Ian Crichton – Herr Doktor
James Richardson Brown
Jesse Newhouse
Joey Marsocci – Dr Grymm
Kris Kuksi
Molly ‘Porkshanks’ Friedrich
Rich Nagy – Datamancer
Stephane Halleux
Thomas D Willeford
Tom Banwell
Vianney Halter
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