Steampunk in the New York Times
Link (Thanks to all the dozens of people who suggested this!)
Devotees of the culture read Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, as well as more recent speculative fiction by William Gibson, James P. Blaylock and Paul Di Filippo, the author of “The Steampunk Trilogy,” the historical science fiction novellas that lent the culture its name. They watch films like “The City of Lost Children” (with costumes designed by Jean Paul Gaultier), “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” and “Brazil,” Terry Gilliam’s dystopian fantasy satirizing the modern industrial age; and they listen to melodeons and Gypsy strings mixed with industrial goth.They build lumbering contraptions like the steampunk treehouse, a rusted-out 40-foot sculpture assembled last year at the Burning Man festival in Nevada and unveiled last month at the Coachella music festival in Southern California. They trawl eBay for saw-tooth cogs and watch parts to dress up their Macs and headsets, then show off their inventions to kindred spirits on the Web.
And, in keeping with the make-it-yourself ethos of punk, they assemble their own fashions, an adventurous pastiche of neo-Victorian, Edwardian and military style accented with sometimes crudely mechanized accouterments like brass goggles and wings made from pulleys, harnesses and clockwork pendants, to say nothing of the odd ray gun dangling at the hip. Steampunk style is corseted, built on a scaffolding of bustles, crinolines and parasols and high-arced sleeves not unlike those favored by the movement’s designer idols: Nicolas Ghesquiere of Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and, yes, even Ralph Lauren.
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"If you go to Google Trends and track the number of times [steampunk] is mentioned, the curve is almost algorithmic from a year and a half ago."
Ah, yes. We love the MSM and their rigorous sub-editing.
Really? Somebody watched and liked “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”? Say it ain't so.
Scottfree, no, someone watched The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and liked the _Costumes_. Important difference :-)
#1, That was my first thought. I can't believe that went to press.
And traditional newspaper companies wonder why we don't like their content as much when it goes online -- it's because most of their writers aren't experts at anything other than writing!
The online photo gallery was pretty disappointing, I thought. Only one really cool steampubk object (the computer); mostly not particularly distinctive steampunkish clothing.
#1: That's what caught my eye, too. I tried to figure out what he actually said, but exponential is nowhere near algorithmic, and logarithmic implies the trend is leveling off....
you know what's strange, is I was doing this type of artwork about 12 years ago, and had no idea that "steampunk" even existed. Any good suggestions as to the best place to show/sell my artwork?
"The Bombay Company is selling steampunk-style brass home accessories, instruments like astrolabes and sextants."
When it's not, y'know, filing for bankruptcy and closing its doors...
"They watch films like . . . “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”"
I am fairly certain that "The League of Extraordinarily Bad Filmmaking" is unwatchable.
In other news: NYT late to the party, again.
Is "The Golden Compass" steampunk?
How about Miéville's Bas-Lag books?
Pipenta, I was wondering about the design influences of the Golden Compass also; you can clearly see the old mixed with the new. The Compass itself had all the wonderful gears and elaborate movement, but its function was not based on steam, but Dust, and I'm not sure what dust is, other than magic
A story in the NY Times? Steampunk has officially jumped the brass-plated thermodynamically-inefficient pneumatic shark.
#13: agreed. I, for one, am happy that steampunk is now uncool.
I am amazed the more I delve into it just how far ahead of my time I was. The question remains, is it too late to cash in on it? If it's in the Times, probably not.
Renaissance Fair: The Next Generation
Now that it's popular, I suddenly hate it. I hate it all.
Padma Lakshmi was wearing something like this on "Top Chef" last night. It looked pretty good, on her. Although anything would....
Until a steampunk Happy Meal surfaces it's not popular...hmmm...did Disney's Atlantis had one? Ok, it is.
@#9 Brian Carnell: I am fairly certain that "The League of Extraordinarily Bad Filmmaking" is unwatchable.
Likely someone told the NYT they liked League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and, being studious fact-checkers, they neglected to note there were exponentially superior graphic novels by that name first and since.
At least they don't mention Dances of Vice. I'd like to think that every johnny-come-lately won't be clogging the next one in July before I get a chance to take it in.
So would this gypsy-goth music they listen to be considered Steamo?
#14 posted by Comstock , May 8, 2008 7:24 AM
#13: agreed. I, for one, am happy that steampunk is now uncool.
To reply to #14:
Agree or not, Steampunk is a bona-fide design movement. Like all other art movements, it will grow in usage and popularity- (think 'modern ar't)
It, like all other human contrivances and efforts, will have it's natural & healthy detractors.
It will morph in it's initial concept as it is adopted and applied by a variety of creative people who will use it as a basis for many different mediums of expression.
To rebut your statement: Steampunk was cool: is now cool and will remain cool.
DAN@#1:
Thank you for recognizing that as a mis-quote! I work with scientists and they have been ranking on me since I walked in the door this morning.
Fact is though, if you look at Google Trends now, its pretty linear.
#21 I heartily concur.
Broths: goths dressed in brown.
#22 "Agree or not, Steampunk is a bona-fide design movement. Like all other art movements, it will grow in usage and popularity- (think 'modern ar't)...It will morph in it's initial concept as it is adopted and applied by a variety of creative people who will use it as a basis for many different mediums of expression. "
Or perhaps it will die a quiet death as copper and zinc prices continue their steep climb.
OK, so steampunk isn't avante-garde anymore...are we allowed to like cyberpunk again yet? Surely it's retro-hip by now!
A wise man once told me: "Steampunk is the trucker hat of the internet"
Dear Zilzak,
You are free to like anything you want- for whatever reasons you have for liking it.
If someone liked Steampunk only because it was (and is) considered avante-garde, that's O.K., too.
However, Steampunk is not merely an odd new trend, but will continue to grow in popularity because it reaches back to our past to claim the most wondrous parts of history, overlooked technologies and design. (Captain Nemo would be proud.)
I'm pretty sure that the number of mentions in BB of "SteamPunk" is almost algorithmic from a year and a half ago too. Though I could be wrong, it might be a non-algorithmic curve ya know.
@ Karlgustav, @ Aldasin, right on! This trendlet reminds me of the swing craze about a decade ago.
@21 Steamo! I love it.
You can steampunk hot guys? Where are my gears? Where's my glue?
Antinous, sure you can. The only trouble is they're all running on hot air.
Does this mean they will start picking cotton again. I'm confused.
Ugh. Whenever NY Times does a "Cool Underground Culture of the Month" primer for Newbies I get queasy. Expect to see goggles and gear fashions coming to a Hot Topic near you soon.
to #36:
I know what you mean, Bonnie. I do feel the same.
However, internet coverage, blogs, newspapers, magazines & other mediae do not deter or detract from the authenticity and importance of any particular art movement (such as Steampunk).
If this were true, and if the internet was around 60 years ago, Jackson Pollack would have been con sidered "over" before his second drip painting was completed.
But we, who follow blogs and especially BoingBoing, are exposed to these new trends the very second they happen. It's no wonder that a style like Steampunk can be considered 'over' even when there are really only a handful of serious artists working in the genre. (by comparison to other styles of art & design).
yep ... steampunk is hereby uncool.
not to mention the last picture in that photoset is bad in all kinds of ways.
"Agree or not, Steampunk is a bona-fide design movement. Like all other art movements, it will grow in usage and popularity- (think 'modern ar't)
It, like all other human contrivances and efforts, will have it's natural & healthy detractors.
It will morph in it's initial concept as it is adopted and applied by a variety of creative people who will use it as a basis for many different mediums of expression.
To rebut your statement: Steampunk was cool: is now cool and will remain cool."
You're overthinking it. Cool is not about design movements, cool is not about popularity. Cool is just cool. You feel it in your gut. Like pr0n, it's impossible to describe but you know it when you see it. Remember when Fonzi was cool?
Steampunk is simply not cool anymore. Too bad.
Does anyone not currently enrolled in an algebra class care whether or not their interests are cool?
Algebra is -so- yesterday.
http://www.jeremiahtolbert.com/2008/on-the-popularity-of-steampunk/
Here at the link are some good thoughts on the genre.
@ 36, art, you confuse fashion statement with art movement. And fantasy with artistic statement. And cool for not cool.
Any self-proclaimed art movement that has to insist on being cool is neither an art movement (by its insistence on being cool) or cool (also by its insistence on being cool.)
Fine, you like it. Keep liking it. But stop blowing hand-riveted sunshine up my a$$.
"But stop blowing hand-riveted sunshine up my a$$."
Dear Elevenwatt, LOL!!!
No, I'm not into the fashion part of Steampunk (the final image in the NY Times phot-stream is embarassingly bad) and I don't use a made-up, Victorian moniker.
I'm just in it for the genuine 'art' of it.
"Algebra is -so- yesterday."
Yeh.. but that's only because you were in algebra class yesterday :p
( ..actually, I am on Mondays too, with some trig and 3d thrown in for good measure)
Mention of the film Wild Wild West is curiously missing from this article. Didn't you see that huge thing Kevin Kline built? Crazy!
#46
Ha, I was thinking the same thing about Wild Wild West.
Maybe it's acknowledged in steampunk circles, or maybe not.
It's probably the tentacled-baby of the genre, locked in a back room and never mentioned, even though everyone can hear it suckering up and down the walls all night.. looking for blood.
Am I alone in thinking that Steampunk has about as much to do with art and fashion as a Trekker convention?
@#48
Judging from the sentiments of many comments here, you're not alone.
But the quality & authenticity of any particular Steampunk effort depends upon the artist and where they are take the genre.
I did like steampunk before it became popular and before a name for it existed. I've always been interested in Victorian ideas of the future, and it seemed like how the future would have been liked without all that 20th century stuff lol. Maybe the 80's version of the future will start getting really popular. Ugh!
On a lighter note, I do like the gentlemen in the image above. :-)
you're ALL late to the party. anyone ever heard of the bands Stiffs Inc.?
yeah...
Yeh.. but that's only because you were in algebra class yesterday :p
Geologically, maybe. As-the-earth-turns, preCal. I -wish- I was still in Algebra.
3d? Eh? What're you going to college for?
Broths: goths dressed in brown.
OMG, I'm going to be LOLing all weekend on that one!