Steampunk World’s Fair amasses 3000 guests in camaraderie and steampunk celebration
This May, the Steampunk World’s Fair will hit Piscataway, New Jersey with a bustling three days of the largest steampunk festival this planet has ever seen. Says Jeff Mach, creator of the event, “We wish to create unbelievable and unforgettable pleasure, camaraderie, friendship, and joy for each and every single person who walks into our event.” The steampunk-loving community, whose members flock to the annual fair from across the nation, appreciates such a mission. Their appreciation has made the Steampunk World’s Fair the largest steampunk festival in the nation; the 2011 festival garnered about 3000 guests.
But the World’s Fair is not solely reserved for the loudest fans; anyone with the least bit of interest in anything steampunk are invited to snap on a pair of aviator goggles and join the masses. The event has seen guests of all ages, from senior citizens to toddlers. The atmosphere of acceptance and full-blown entertainment at the World’s Fair make it the ultimate introduction to the genre. Festivals of the past have featured everything from Why Not Cake, an imaginative company of gourmet cake artists; to visits from award-winning author Leanna Renee Hieber.
So whether you’re a first-time steampunk, or you already have your corset and combat boots on, the Steampunk World’s Fair welcomes you with the opportunity to immerse yourself in a mystical world populated with potential friends and good old-fashioned entertainment.
I have been catching up on some TV shows I watch, this one called Castle. It’s about a novelist shadowing a New York detective. Anyway, there was an episode where steampunk was featured. This is from season 3 episode 4.
My Steampunk equation pictured above, in a lovely design by John Coulthart, was meant to describe Steampunk literature, but it does point to a few facts about Steampunk generally. First, it’s both retro- and forward-looking in nature. Second, it evokes a sense of adventure and of discovery. Third, it embraces divergent and extinct technologies as a way of talking about the future.
Over the past decade, Steampunk has gone from being a literary movement to a way of life, a part of pop culture, and a mechanism to look at the idea of “progress.” Steampunk has gained strength and momentum as it has transitioned from a “movement” to an “aesthetic.” A Steampunk aesthetic now permeates movies, comics, fashion, art, and role-playing games, as well as events such Maker Faire and the Burning Man festival. Media coverage from juggernauts such as the New York Times and MTV has fostered its spread through the zeitgeist.
Steampunk draws people from all political persuasions and social classes, but the best of Steampunk in my opinion is unabashedly progressive, proactive, and deliberately pushes against a cynical and jaded world with a brand of cautious optimism. Steampunk also serves as a potent entry point for people to reclaim technology and to talk about a sustainable way of life. Both the Maker movement and the Green movement have become part of the Steampunk subculture.
An exploration of Steampunk begins more than a century before the term was first coined in 1987.
This is a pretty good steampunk themed movie. There is a great short review over at WTFlicks.com here: The City of Lost Children
Here are some stills from the movie:
The movie is about a mad scientist that steals children to look into their dreams. Kinda creepy fun an entertaining movie. It is definitely worth a watch.
