Oh, Those Crazy Modern Victorians: Or What the Heck Is Steampunk?

Amber Johnson rockin’ the goggles made for her by Ian N. Campbell
Steampunk World’s Fair 2013

Whether or not you are familiar with the term Steampunk, you have encountered its influence in popular entertainment and fashion.

For the record, the term Steampunk refers to a subgenre of science fiction and fantasy literature in which Victorian aesthetics combine with futuristic technology to create a world full of brass, mechanical gears, goggles, clocks, and steam-powered machinery.

Though there exist Victorian fantasy novels written by the greats — H. G. Wells and Jules Verne — the actual term Steampunk is relatively recent. Coined by writer K. W. Jeter in a light-hearted 1987 comment to Locus magazine, the letter read:

Personally, I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for [Timothy] Powers, [James P.] Blaylock and myself. Something based on the appropriate technology of the era; like ‘steam-punks’, perhaps.

It took a while, but it seems that this prediction may actually come to pass.

[Full disclosure time: As you might have guessed by the similarity in our names, I am related in some way to K. W. Jeter. He is, in fact, my husband. And, of course, I am inordinately proud of him. However, although I never review his books because of the obvious conflict, it would be remiss of me to exclude him from this article.]

Recently, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, along with other national publications, have featured Steampunk topics relating to fashion and Victorian martial arts. Additionally, IBM has predicted that Steampunk will be one of the biggest trends in 2013 to 2015.

Possibly. There are signs. Apart from its literary influences, Steampunk has begun to impact current fashion. Sarah Burton’s new spring collection for Alexander McQueen, for example, references Victorian fashion with her emphasis on corsetry, full-skirted gowns, and specialty millinery. In Paris, John Galliano’s 2010 collection at Christian Dior featured lace, corsets, and top hats. Most significant is Pantone’s announcement that brown (a color much beloved by the Steampunk fashionistas) is one of the top colors for fall 2013.

The entertainment industry also is giving a nod to the genre. Television shows like Sanctuaryand Warehouse 13, and the wildly popular Dr. Who, lean heavily on the Victorian “look.” Beyond the cable shows, even the networks are getting into the act. For example, the show Castlehighlighted the subculture in its 2010 episode “Punked.” Also, films like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and the Disney animated film Atlantis: The Lost Empire are Victorian in design and period.

The Conventions

As is usual with parts and portions within the science fiction and fantasy community, aficionados of a particular enthusiasm gather together to celebrate their passions. Star Trek conventions, the big San Diego ComicCon and its various offshoots, and the more general World Science Fiction and World Fantasy conventions, along with the general regional conventions, attract thousands of people every year.

As one of the newest entries on the specialty conference scene, the various Steampunk conventions are a combination of topic-relevant panels, music, art, crafts and other demonstrations, Victorian-themed teas and absinthe tastings, and, of course, the costumes.

After attending two of the most prominent Steampunk conventions — Steamcon in Seattle, held in the fall, and the Steampunk World’s Fair, held in New Jersey each spring — I have to say that this is some of the most inventive costuming I have encountered in years. Plus, the craftsmanship is at an incredibly high level. These are not tatty Halloween costumes off the rack. They are often wearer-made, or at the least, handmade by people working within a narrow area of expertise. Beautiful hats by true milliners, scientific instrument and faux weapon accessories, and fantastic jewelry and leatherwork create an ongoing visual feast.

Madame Pâte à Glacer models her new hat

All Are Welcome

Another thing I have noticed is that this is an all-ages, all-comers enthusiasm. From babies in decked-out prams to older people sporting canes or wheelchairs studded with gears, clock mechanisms, and brass, this is a party that includes everyone. While I readily understand the older generations’ affinity for the event, and we all know that babies exist for the wearing of funny hats, I am intrigued by the number of teens and preteens in attendance at these events.

So I asked. One young woman, Mirabelle von Hedwig (aka Ronan York) who is an active member of the group The Steampunk Family said:

Younger people enjoy Steampunk because it is a way to be amazing. They can learn how to make and do cool things and be recognized for them. Imagine a group of tiny threads, thousands of them, constantly weaving together and unraveling, then repeating the process. Now label it. Its name is Steampunk, a place where there is always room for a new thread.

Steampunk is a live culture, constantly changing and evolving, Because of this, no one is “bigger, better, or more experienced.” You can have been Steampunk for years, as I have (I first went to a convention as Steampunk five years ago when I was seven years old) and still not know its full mystery. I know I don’t!

Additionally, as ‘children,’ we often are grouped together as one unit, but in Steampunk we are amazing individuals.

For costuming, 
it’s all in the details.

In addition, attendees have begun to realize that the Victorian Era touched many cultures. This was the time in history that the sun never set on the British Empire, and many countries were influenced by the arts and sciences of the period. Therefore, Steampunk has attracted many people of color and myriad ethnicities who have become an integral part of the Steampunk community.

The women, of course, look lovely in all the pretty dresses and intrepid female explorer outfits. But a big plus for the Steampunk enthusiasts — the men look terrific in this stuff! Especially the tall and portly men. Victorian menswear and its various permutations very much suit the guys.

Professor Verdigris Wetware takes tea.
(Notice the clock detailing on the hat.)

The Future

This success, however, has highlighted some possible problems. What has been a predominately small, out-of-the-mainstream enthusiasm is catching the attention of big media. While there is a sense of pride in having created something so wonderful, there is also a fear that it all might be tarnished or even taken away by the corporate entities that run the film industry, television networks, and fashion.

We’ll see. My bet is that the true essence of Steampunk will escape the corporations. They will play with it for a while, move on to the next new thing, and then Steampunk will go back to those who truly love the genre.

And what does K. W. Jeter think of what has happened to “his” word?

Here’s the deal: I didn’t invent Steampunk. I did, however, bumble into coining the word“Steampunk.” There’s a lot of creativity, written and others, and just general fun that’s going on in regard to Victorian-themed fantasy and science fiction, and if a word I created has become attached as the portmanteau handle to all that, then I’m flattered. But it would still be going on, with or without that label. — K. W. Jeter

[For a representative gallery of Steampunk looks, go to the Flickr pages for The Steampunk Family.]

[Originally published at California Literary Review, May 29, 2013.]

We Are Now Ecuador Residents!

Casa Alonso, Mansion Alcazar
Cuenca, Ecuador

Today we picked up our cedulas, the final step in our move to Ecuador. We now are official residents of this beautiful country. To celebrate, we took ourselves to Casa Alonso, the restaurant in Mansion Alcazar, a lovely historic hotel. The setting is adjacent to the garden and was a perfect place for a special lunch. The food and service were stellar. We will definitely return when treats are called for.

We definitely want to thank our attorney, Gabriella Espinosa, who counseled us before we arrived on the residency procedures and necessary documents; Linda Gonzalez, Dr. Espinosa's Cuenca contact, who helped us with translations and our initial paperwork (so we didn't have to journey to Quito, which was where we needed to file when we arrived -- no Cuenca office in April 2012); and Noshy Pinos, an extraordinarily helpful Cuenca facilitator, who helped us through the cedula process (surprisingly more complicated than the visa process).

We are thrilled!

(More details are coming about our Ecuador adventure just as soon as the dust settles.)

Cuenca Can Be a Social Whirl

The Coopera restaurant in San Joaquin

August is almost over. Where the heck did the last four months go? Oh, yeah. We jumped continents.

For the "getting settled" part of our adventure, mostly it's going smoothly. We like our apartment; it's pretty and we each have our own office. However, I would change a few things, like the oven that doesn't really work and the tiny one-bowl sink. It would also be nice if the washing machine had hot-water wash, but that luxury is starting to appear only in the newest construction in Cuenca. And, I would like a freezer I didn't have to defrost. And the stove doesn't really simmer. So, I bought a single-burner hot plate for soups and sauces and a toaster oven for grilling and baking, which I am learning to navigate. It's all just a matter of working with what we have.

And since there is no central heating, and we are in winter, we will be scouting out a propane heater for the living/dining room. After we get that, we can actually think of hosting dinner parties and other get-togethers for the new friends we have made. Looking forward to that.

On the positive side, we have amazing Ecuadorian neighbors who have been so welcoming and generous in assisting us with getting settled (and helped me learn how to get the propane delivered — over the phone, in Spanish). Another good thing is that we are on the ground floor, so I don't have to navigate large amounts of stairs on a regular basis (my knees are loving this, and are actually improving). 

We are set back from one of the main drags, which makes getting a taxi a snap — no need to call for one as the most I have ever had to wait was ten minutes. As for traffic noise, we are urban types and actually miss the background of people and traffic if a place is too quiet. In addition, our apartment is close to the main university, so it is a lively student-oriented neighborhood (and the modern university performing arts center is only two blocks away).

It’s Jeff’s Fault — Or How I Became a NASCAR Fan

Joey Logano accepting the 2009 Rookie of the Year award
Photo by Jeff Speer

For most of my adult life, I have lived in a world of dancers, writers, artists and artisans, and academics. You know the drill — urban, chic, and totally involved in their creations and all their projects. Not exactly breeding ground for NASCAR fans. Oh, you get the occasional baseball or football enthusiast in the mix, but they tend to keep their friends' awareness of this aberration muted. After all, this is a crowd that has anti-Rose Bowl Game parties each year and looks at Super Bowl Sunday as an occasion to hit the uncrowded museums, art galleries, and even an ice rink or two. Any place that doesn't have a television tuned to the game.

In 2005, I began working as the dance reviewer for one of the two Las Vegas alternative weeklies. It quickly dawned on me that articles with good photos got better placement in the magazine and were less likely to get hacked to ribbons by the editors. But I'm not a photographer, and I certainly didn't have a decent camera or any photo-editing software. Fortunately, though, I was working in a marketing department whose art director, Jeff Speer, was an excellent photographer. I knew also that although he was an excellent graphic designer, he wanted to become recognized for his photos. His portfolio, though, had no performing arts material. However, there were a ton of baseball action shots.

Bingo! So I asked Jeff if he would be interested in taking pictures of cute girls with minimal clothing and an 80% guarantee of real publication. (Thought I would lead with the strongest part of my sales pitch.) After I filled him in on the details, he was hesitant, saying that he didn't know anything about ballet and wasn't sure how the whole thing could work. I explained to him that, just as with baseball, if the player/dancer bends his knees, there was a pretty good shot that he was going to jump in the air at some point. Only with dancers, they do it to music, and a photographer normally gets three opportunities for a good photo, as dancers often do a three-peat of the same step. Oh, and I offered to pay him a portion of every paid article that used his photos.

Within a year, Jeff had won a Dance magazine award for his dance photography — yes, he is that good — and became the official photographer for Nevada Ballet Theatre.

The Ecuador Adventure Continues

On Pit Road at Parque Xtremo
Yunguilla Valley, Ecuador

It's been a busy couple of weeks around here. First, we went to Parque Xtremo in the Yunguilla Valley for the rally races. We took an excursion van from JD's Private Transportation & Custom Outings, since we don't have (or want) wheels of our own. 

Because I told them I was covering the event for Skirts and Scuffs, they introduced me to the park manager, who drove me along a section of the course to the pits and arranged for me to speak with a couple of the drivers, Then, since the races were starting, he did one of those "Hold on, I've got to get you back up top fast, as the race is just about to start." Wasn't a Sprint Cup ride, but we were hauling along the dirt track and just barely made it before the race started. That was pretty fun.
 
My overall impression of the park and the raceway is that it is like a road course version of the Bullring at a local home track — which is not a bad thing. Was it at Sprint Cup or F1 level, no. But it's a great place to watch young drivers. They also sponsor motocross races — the ups and downs and twists and turns of the course should make that interesting. We definitely will go again.