Nevermind the steampunk
I’ve lately been intrigued with nineteenth century aesthetics, and therefore it should be no surprise that I’m one of the many dorks who admires “steampunk,” an artistic style that marries computer tech with Victorian design. Many would trace the origins of steampunk back to the Bruce Sterling/William Gibson novel The Difference Engine, an alt.history thriller hinging on the idea that computers are invented in the nineteenth century. Others would say that H.P. Lovecraft’s weird fiction started the whole movement back in the 1920s by blending contemporary science with Romantic monsters and mysticism.
No matter what its origins, steampunk has come into its own over the past few years. It’s jumped from literary genre to industrial design, and now there are a spate of steampunk artists as well as steampunk movies and bloggers. In my latest column, I talk about why people are drawn to artistic styles of the past, and especially why they want to turn computers into things that look like steam-driven tech. I suppose you could say I look at the dark side of steampunk. Read more.
July 9th, 2007 at 5:49 pm
speaking of computer age aesthetics:
a friend who worked for dell tells me that they started the shift from beige computer cases to black cases not because black cases are cool or anything, but because studies found that consumers were less intimidated by black computer cases. apparently, they looked more like home electronics that they were familiar with, like vcr’s and televisions.
the story is apocryphal at best, but i think it’s certainly plausible.
July 10th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
I don’t know if you saw the Dr. Who TV movie back in the ’90s, but it sounds right up your alley. The inside of TARDIS looked like the library of a gentleman’s club, and Dr. Who dressed like an Edwardian dandy.
July 12th, 2007 at 12:25 am
[...] Annalee Newitz on Steampunk (tags: steampunk) [...]
July 13th, 2007 at 2:24 am
Comic artist Chris Bachalo actually did a comic called “Steampunk,” that, obviously enough, was steampunk. Bachalo’s art is very good, but it can get a bit busy. Unfortunately, I think it was canceled before it actually finished.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:08 am
It’s so strange that nobody ever mentions the SF writer K.W. Jeter who coined the term steam punk and actually invented the genre in the late 70’s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._W._Jeter
July 21st, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Just posted this on AlterNet as well: have you seen Steampunk Magazine? I just got the second issue, and I am totally in love with it. Beautiful illustrations, intelligent and creative writing, and instructions for weird DIY instruments!
August 13th, 2007 at 2:38 am
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article Nevermind the steampunk, but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.