The Steampunk Phenomenon

If ever there was a contemporary sub culture worthy of Chappist scrutiny, then it must surely be Steampunk, writes James Richardson-Brown

Photography by Tim Sutton

Steampunk has it roots as a literary genre, namely as a term coined by K. W. Jeter to group a literary sub genre. Jeter (along with Tim Powers and James Blaylock) was a pioneer of the 1970s/1980s Steampunk literature movement, with his books Morlock Night and Infernal Devices. The Steampunk genre encompasses anachronistic science fiction, usually set in the Victorian period but can stretch to The First World War in one direction or the late Georgian era in the other. Earlier inspiration for this genre could be said to include writers like Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, even though they were writing of the possibilities the future held, much like modern sci-fi writers.

But while the roots of Steampunk lie in literature, its influence has spread to every aspect of its followers' lives. Disillusion leads to revolt: the appearance of today's average gadgetry has not changed much beyond that of the late 1980s. Computer manufacturers have eschewed the beige box for black, but fundamentally what you still have is a plastic box. In the Steampunk world, artisans try to revive the beauty of Victorian consumer goods. The plastics make way for dark mahogany cases, warm brass controls and leather padding. Some would say this is a step backwards, considering the increased weight and cost of the finished product. Steampunks ask what price can be put on a laptop that is also a work of art.

The Steampunk revolt is nalso a sartorial one. While today it is common to see men amnd women walking around cities dressed in sportswear, there was a time when a gentleman dressed well, whatever he was doing. Steampunks have embraced this ideal fully, and it would not be unusual to see your average Steampunk wearing near historically correct Victorian clothing. Of course, this would be mere re-enactment, but since Steampunk is the creation of a Victorian age that never came about, the clothing of all classes of society is evident, from those who dress like workshop craftsmen to those who prefer upper-class morning suits.

Steampunk accessories either display a love of Victorian technology or create facsimiles of items the wearer believes would have existed in a technologically advanced Victorian era. Clockwork cogs affixed to brooches and cravat pins, pocket watches, canes (some of which can contain anything from a telescope to a compass) and chatelaines. The DIY aspect of Steampunk craftsmanship comes to the fore in the pseudo-Victorian technology that people wear. Items such as iPods and mobile telephones have been modified to appear as though they could have been crafted by Victorian artisans. Also commonly worn are home-made artefacts such as bio-mechanical body modifications and steam-powered weaponry.

The single accessory that truly embodies the steampunk look is goggles. They appear adorning top hats, on brooches, and as the name of the Internet's largest steampunk forum (www.brassgoggles.co.uk). Most steampunks create their goggles by modifying existing designs, adapting scientist's safety goggles or an aviator's flying goggles so they look as though they were created using Victorian materials such as brass, wood or marble. The most commonly adapted items are welding goggles, which can easily be made to look as if they belong to another time and place.

As the subculture becomes more established, it is rapidly developing the philosophy that lies at the root of it. Many people hold the misconceived notion that Steampunks believe the world would be better if we went back to the heyday of steam power. Many Steampunks instead believe that history has gone along the wrong path. We really haven't moved on too far from the steam age. Though we have electricity, most of it is still generated by steam! Consumer goods are more disposable than ever, putting a great drain on the world's resources. An item crafted from brass, glass and leather becomes in its own right something desirable, making its owner less likely to dispose of it after a year or so. Steampunks' way of re-imagining the past is trying to find where, as a society, and even as a species, things went wrong. It can be seen as an attempt to trace our way back through history in order to create a better future.