"Steampunk?" asks the average person over 40, "Maybe she said 'punk rock' or 'steamtown' or 'Stephen'..."
The time has come, I feel, for some classification/clarification on the subject of the various "punk" cultures that are relevant to our day and age. Okay, perhaps their relevance is limited to the appreciation of certain "nerd" subculture...but that is a discussion for another day. I'm doing you a favor really; not knowing about steampunk makes you, in the words of Rainn Wilson, #Officially Old.
What the heck is Steampunk? Ah, see, that's kind of the problem. Its a bit hard to explain. Its a genre of science fiction and fantasy, its a fashion movement, it celebrates Victoriana and is anti-technology, yet it subverts elements of technology by deconstructing and reinventing them. In need of a visual? Here's a steampunk laptop and a steampunk guitar...the concepts of which aren't altogether consistent with the culture they represent, but they give you an idea of the style.
Cyberpunks are sleek, chrome, and decked in black and green and glowing blues, with tiny computers and embedded microchips. Wires abound and, yes, these glorified hackers keep from electrocuting themselves. And is it just me or do cyberpunks seem to get a lot of time running about grimy and rain-slicked city streets (that might look something like this:)
...getting into motorcycle chases despite the general sedentary nature of the hacker lifestyle? Also the internet is everywhere and is the answer to everything. Lastly, robots infiltrate and are part of everything, even, often, human anatomy.
And lets not forget the power of visual learning. For an intro to the Cyberpunk world, just watch The Matrix or Blade Runner. Curious about Steampunks? Think of things like Castle in the Sky or Van Helsing.
That's all I have by way of a brief introduction. If you aren't a nerd and don't much know why you even finished this post, well, my apologies. If you are a nerd, you'll understand me when I say that for now, I'm just waiting for science to develop the hologram-projecting headgear that'll plug me into the interactive mainframe of Internet 2.0, and let me zip back (or sideways, or whichever direction) in time to a place where I can lug around a steam-powered jet-pack and wear knee-high leather boots, a silk Victorian-style bodice, a mini top hat and over-sized airplane goggles.
Alia
The time has come, I feel, for some classification/clarification on the subject of the various "punk" cultures that are relevant to our day and age. Okay, perhaps their relevance is limited to the appreciation of certain "nerd" subculture...but that is a discussion for another day. I'm doing you a favor really; not knowing about steampunk makes you, in the words of Rainn Wilson, #Officially Old.
What the heck is Steampunk? Ah, see, that's kind of the problem. Its a bit hard to explain. Its a genre of science fiction and fantasy, its a fashion movement, it celebrates Victoriana and is anti-technology, yet it subverts elements of technology by deconstructing and reinventing them. In need of a visual? Here's a steampunk laptop and a steampunk guitar...the concepts of which aren't altogether consistent with the culture they represent, but they give you an idea of the style.
Some of mainstream culture may joke that Steampunks are simply the matured refugees of the Cyperpunk era. The most obvious difference is the one between Anachronistic and Sci-Fi subcultures. Steampunk lives in the civilized and decadent past, while the Cyperpunks prefer a more rugged, crime-infused world of the future. Key word? Robotics. On the other hand, Steam-powered gadgets are vastly different from the electronic toys of the cyperpunk era. For one, aesthetics. Steampunks haul around brass gadgetry that is bulky, obvious, and ornate. Its showy and outlandish. In short, its a subculture of statement pieces given new meaning via science taht has been made obsolete and therefore attractive to those who feel above the current culture. Pretty pretentious, really. Like nerdy hipsters!
Cyberpunks are sleek, chrome, and decked in black and green and glowing blues, with tiny computers and embedded microchips. Wires abound and, yes, these glorified hackers keep from electrocuting themselves. And is it just me or do cyberpunks seem to get a lot of time running about grimy and rain-slicked city streets (that might look something like this:)
...getting into motorcycle chases despite the general sedentary nature of the hacker lifestyle? Also the internet is everywhere and is the answer to everything. Lastly, robots infiltrate and are part of everything, even, often, human anatomy.
And lets not forget the power of visual learning. For an intro to the Cyberpunk world, just watch The Matrix or Blade Runner. Curious about Steampunks? Think of things like Castle in the Sky or Van Helsing.
That's all I have by way of a brief introduction. If you aren't a nerd and don't much know why you even finished this post, well, my apologies. If you are a nerd, you'll understand me when I say that for now, I'm just waiting for science to develop the hologram-projecting headgear that'll plug me into the interactive mainframe of Internet 2.0, and let me zip back (or sideways, or whichever direction) in time to a place where I can lug around a steam-powered jet-pack and wear knee-high leather boots, a silk Victorian-style bodice, a mini top hat and over-sized airplane goggles.Alia
Amen to the airplane goggles! I love this post. And how geeky it all is cos steam punk is one of my quiet loves :)
ReplyDeleteThe other day kevin said "mom I wish I could just teleport to class." I told his teacher and I guess the kids over heard so the whole class said "what is teleporting?" the teacher asked Kevin to explain. He went " ziiiiiipppp" pretty cool for a preschooler either that or he has nerdy parents ehh. Great post Alia. Love ya girl.
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