Steam Punk

One more Steampunk post

| maggiebird

And then I’ll let it rest for a while.

Just a few more photos of costumes. The level and detail of the costumes just amazed me. Wish I had more photos, but there are tons more photos from other people here.

Steamcouple2b

A Happy Couple.Wonder if she lets him wear his rocket pack in the house?

SteamGeneral2

This guy even assumed the sorry-my-darling-but-duty-calls aura worn by any daring officer of world adventure.

SteamNewDressAnd, of course, your’s truly in a new bustier/shirtcoat/dressy thingy. Never felt so lovely in all my old life!

Pocket tool belts

Steampunk music

| maggiebird

DancingLadiesAt the Abney Park part of the Seattle SteamCon concert, I had an odd, disconnected moment when three beautifully proper Edwardian ladies threw off their jackets and started boogying across the floor.

My niece loves Abney Park.  The band is edging towards something I’d like to listen to. But I’m put off by the karaoke-style drum track—guess I’m just old fashioned and want a drummer that I can swoon over. Captain Robert whapping on a djembe is not the same as a guy on a kit.

However, their show is  wonderful. I love watching them. The costumes are wonderful, the stage business interesting, and sometimes they have a belly dancer! I’m just not so into listening to them. But that could change. I’ll keep trying.

I’ve been trying hard to like Steampunk music. Honestly, I have. I’ve listened to most of the jukebox at Sepiachord.com. I’ve sampled some of the Steampunk bands at LastFM.com. (ok, Circus Contraption’s cut Come to the Circus comes close to being interesting, and  Clare Fader’s throwback Caberet Noir is compelling), but I’m still not sold on the style.

But I’ll keep listening. Isn’t anyone doing Steampunk tinged trad Irish?

The theatre of Steampunk

| maggiebird

FezGirl

What is Steampunk? It’s a hard question to answer.

The  underlying story/fantasy behind Steampunk is a future that never was, full of cool clothing, sprockets and gears, wheels, and mechanical engines. It’s theatre, pure theatre.

Airships powered by magical steam ply the skies. Horse-drawn buggies plod along next to whizzing locomotives. Science thrusts satin-skirted ladies (full of buxom adventure) into the arms of mad scientists. Gentlemen (and women) adventurers explore new worlds;  they study new species of plants, animals, and people.

Steampunk is  a place where people can have wings.

SteamWings

My favorite part of the whole convention (besides the costumes) was the “radio show” put on by the folks at Studio Foglio, publishing house for and creators of the online comic,  Girl Genius. What fun that was! It was sort of a reader’s theater. I love radio shows, but this was even more fun to see the folks doing the lines. What a bunch of hams. .