Steampunk: Everything You Need to Know
If you are regularly browsing the web, then we are sure that you have already come across the term steampunk. So, if you were too shy to ask someone to clarify this term for you, or just wanted to know something more about this topic, you have come to the right place.
Steampunk is a culture that consists of music, fashion, literature, gaming, movies and DIY model making. This culture was influenced by a retro-futuristic combination of Victorian aesthetic and cyberpunk, and has found its way in the mainstream culture in the late 2000’s.
The roots of steampunk date from Victorian era and the works of authors like Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. Most people feel excited when they see a certain part of the steampunk culture and find the repurposed parts, jewelry and Victorian outfits very appealing. In many cases enjoying in the steampunk culture can be as simple as wearing a steampunk inspired piece of jewelry together with your everyday clothes, but there are people who take things much farther than most would.
The History of Steampunk
One way to describe steampunk would be that this is how the past would look like if the Industrial revolution did not happen, or have happened differently. This means instead of coal and combustion engines, steam and clockwork would power the world. The most common things you will encounter in the steampunk culture are time travel, goggles, steam power, airships, clockwork, mad science and the Victorian-inspired fashion.
Steampunk longs for the futuristic past that never happened and turns that longing into different artistic expressions of art, music, literature and entertainment. Repurposing and the DIY aspects is what keep this culture alive, and this is where steampunk combines the fascination of the Victorian era with the natural world with inventions. But, steampunk is not only connected to the Victorian era, there are a couple of other popular alternates like the American West, alternate universes and dimensions and fantasy or science fiction that takes place on another planet or space.
Steampunk and Its Gadgets
Many people have specialized in Steampunk design. Here functionality is not the most important thing; the aesthetic design is the main goal they strive to achieve. Every gadget consists of old gas lamps, old clocks, compasses, gauges, pipes, lamps and these small machines are usually some common items that are made of materials like leather, mahogany and brass.
Perhaps the most interesting gadgets when it comes to steampunk are the modified weapons. This has been a trend for quite some time and people simply love these modified weapons. These modified retro-futuristic weapons like ray guns have become really popular accessories and app developers are even taking advantage of this, so expect to see soon steampunk weapon simulators on your mobile devices where will be able to play with steampunk modified weapons and watch how different parts are working together.
Steampunk and Its Role in Pop Culture
Majority of sci-fi authors use books like Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870) and War of the Worlds (1897) as their inspiration and their stories are usually set in the Victorian era. But, like we mentioned before steampunk is not just about that, it also a combination of retro-futuristic technologies and alternate history. Over the years steampunk has found its way into the pop culture, for instance in some of the mainstream movies like Wild Wild West and Hellboy II: The Golden Army. The influence of steampunk is also visible in video games like Bioshock Infinite and Dishonored.
When it comes to steampunk music it is more about presentation and style than there being a particular genre, but there are some performers that are leaning toward Goth rock end. Believe it or not, steampunk has also found its way to some of the most popular performers in the music world, for instance, Justin Bieber, David Guetta and Panic! At The Disco.
Here you go everything you need to know about steampunk culture, all in one place. We hope that everything is much clearer to you know, and who knows maybe you will get fascinated with this culture and become a part of it.
