What is Steampunk? (click/tap images to expand)

Steampunk cannot be concisely defined because it represents different things to different people. It is also continually evolving as its seemingly unstoppable influence permeates through the realms of literature, art, music, film, computer games and a thriving social scene. The word 'steampunk' started life as a whimsical, off-the-cuff label to try and sell novels, but has now evolved to represent everything from a 19th-century retrofuturistic aesthetic, to an attitude of mind and social behaviour that involves being 'splendid' in everything one does. The most popular aspect of steampunk's many faces, is probably the multitude of creative festivals and social gatherings that take place around the UK and indeed, the world. But to properly understand the steampunk scene, one needs some context as to how it all began…

Who Coined the Word Steampunk?

In 1987, American author KW Jeter wrote a letter to sci-fi magazine Locus, in which he discussed the 19th-century, retrofuturistic setting of the particular genre of science fiction that he and two of his peers were writing about at the time. He commented: "Personally, I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for Powers, Blaylock and myself. Something based on the appropriate technology of the era; like 'steam-punks', perhaps." Jeter used 'steampunk' as a deliberate derivative of the word 'cyberpunk', which had already been coined by sci-fi author Bruce Bethke five years previously to describe young, marginalised, tech-savvy characters living in a digitally enhanced, dystopian future.

Steampunk as a Literary Genre

Although Jeter may have inadvertently named the steampunk genre in 1987, it was stylistically already well established by the likes of Jules Verne, H.G Wells and Mary Shelley before the 19th-century had even ended. In those days such Victorian sci-fi works (as we might now call them) were labeled as 'fantasy', 'horror' or 'scientific romance', and some of the fantastic stories written were indicative of how many Victorians thought that the future might unfold for them. Picture the riveted submarine Nautilus from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, Alexander's temporal transporter from The Time Machine, or the Martian tripods from War of the Worlds, and you'll start to get the idea.

Now imagine that those fantasy depictions of the future actually happened, and extend that notion forwards however many years you wish, whilst locking the dominant technologies of the original era in place - this is what retrofuturism is all about. In the case of steampunk, picture Victorian explorers and scientists working mainly (but not solely) with steam engines, pushing the boundaries of travel and science ever further, into whatever lands, planets, time periods and scenarios that modern authors like Jeter wish to take us. That then, is steampunk as a literary genre.

Steampunk as an Aesthetic Style

Steampunk started out as an exploration of what might have been if 19th-century ideas of the future became reality. As this was the age of steam, analog clocks, gears/cogs and automatons all featured heavily in such visualisations, as did steam-powered machines such as larger-than-life trains, vehicles that walk on legs, and massive airships with wooden or iron-clad boats in place of gondolas.

And so it was that the 'steampunk aesthetic' came to be known for its predominantly Victorian architecture and attire, mixed to varying degrees with clockwork and steam-powered machinery from that era. Accordingly, colour palettes nearly always involved sepia-brown tones mixed with blacks and dark colours that were popular in the 19th-century, although ironically this was also the period in which bright aniline dyes were developed. Industrial textures from that period also featured heavily, such as leather, copper and brass, as well as iron and wood. This then was the predominant aesthetic style of steampunk when it first rose to public attention in the 1980s and 1990s.

Since then, the scope of steampunk has grown to encompass new literature and films, as well as brilliantly creative sci-fi mashups such as steampunked Star Wars, steampunked Star Trek and even Doctor Who ...copper and brass Daleks, anyone! Even anime frequently incorporates steampunk settings and aesthetics into its fantasy genre, with leather-clad characters using clockwork and steam-powered weapons in coming-of-age stories aimed at the younger generations e.g. Steamboy, 2004, by Katsuhiro Otomo, costing $26 million to make.

All these 21st-century developments of the genre are widening the colour palettes seen in steampunk art and illustration, and AI art is bringing incredible realism to depictions of colourful steampunk worlds and alternative futures. Steampunk costumes (aka 'attire') have also seen a shift towards a more colourful palette in recent years as some of the larger festivals have taken on more of a carnival atmosphere, complete with parades. The steampunk aesthetic has become brighter and more colourful, but still very distinctive due to the ever-present inclusion of the tropes of Victorian fashion and industrialism.

Steampunk as a Social Scene

Now that we have given the steampunk genre some context, we can say that by far the most popular aspect of the many faces of steampunk, and the reason why so many people gravitate towards its creative festivals and get-togethers, is the convivial, inclusive and super-welcoming social scene. Anyone is usually welcome at organised steampunk events, but to dress in keeping with the expressive steampunk aesthetic is to truly feel like one belongs.

Some people choose to dress in formal Victorian attire (the 'steam' from steampunk refers to the age of steam), with perhaps tight leather trousers in place of formal slacks, bovver boots instead of dress-shoes, goggles fixed to a top-hat, or a bright corset worn as an outer garment (the 'punk' from steampunk refers to rebellion and counterculture). On the other hand, some people spend countless hours creating marvellously intricate costumes straight from steampunk literature, including animals dressed in formal vintage attire (e.g. from Grandville, 2009, by Bryan Talbot), mechanical or armoured suits fit for battle or interplanetary exploration, fantastical beings or monsters from an imagined past or future, or even embattled survivors of a 19th-century-envisaged post-apocalyptic planet Earth.

Some degree of dressing up is highly recommended if one wants to make the most of the opportunity for social interaction, if for no other reason than as a conversation starter when one meets fellow steampunks for the first time. All it takes is one pleasant chat and further introductions often follow. Such events are always great fun, are a creative feast for the eyes, and it has become customary among UK steampunks to be splendid (in every respect) and non-judgmental, so plenty of new friendships usually result.

Steampunk as a Focus for Creativity

For some, creativity or creative self-expression is their primary drive for becoming involved with steampunk fashion, art, literature or social events. Many regular event attendees admit to 'falling down the rabbit hole' of creative endeavour once they attend an event and get the inevitable creative bug for dressing up as the character they have secretly always wanted to be. That might mean adopting the persona of a time-travelling inventor, mad scientist, dashing hussar, studious botanist, gifted seamstress, intrepid explorer, vintage astronaut, Wild West outlaw, or even a pirate straight from the decks of Captain Jack's Black Pearl (the American frontier was very much part of 19-century life, as were pirates in the Caribbean up to the 1830s).

Any real or imagined character from the 19-century is a legitimate persona, fit for the focus of a steampunk's creative expression, as are the clothes or accessories they might have worn or carried. If we extend this notion to the imagined futures of 19-century authors, or Victorian sci-fi stories of travelling back in time to dinosaur-inhabited lands, one could conclude that a steampunk character, setting or story could be absolutely anything that you want it to be. However, without some reasonably obvious visual or creative focus or 'anchor' to steampunk's Victorian science fiction origins, some might struggle to understand its relevance to the steampunk genre.

Can anything be steampunked?

Whilst many things may or may not be classed as 'steampunk', depending upon your exposure to the different aspects of the genre, almost any character or physical object can be 'steampunked'. In 2009, Weekend at the Asylum founder and director, John Naylor, created a steampunked version of Darth Vader's iconic mask in the melded style of a 19th-century German soldier's helmet. The result is distinctively steampunk in its aesthetic, whilst also being instantly recognisable as Darth Vader's helmet - Star Wars had been steampunked!

Many years later and nearly every principal Star Wars and Star Trek character has been seen 'steampunked' at one or another of the larger UK events, including various fully working R2D2 robots fashioned from wood, brass and copper. Star Trek uniforms perfectly meld Victorian fashion with styling cues straight from the USS Enterprise, and brass-helmeted, leather-armoured Mandalorians roam the festivals declaring: "This is the way." Another popular activity is the steampunking of NERF guns (kids' toys that fire foam darts) whereby a bright plastic toy gun is turned into a metallic ray-gun or suchlike, being careful not to fall foul of the law on imitation firearms, of course.

Suitcases are turned into time machines, motorbikes are fashioned to look like Victorian racing machines, and even computers and their peripherals are made to look as though they come from the bridge of Captain Nemo's Nautilus. Rooms in homes have been decorated and fitted out with a steampunk aesthetic, and in fact, even entire houses have been given the 'steampunk look'. In a nutshell then, any everyday item or recognisable character can be 'steampunked' if it is turned into a version that looks like it belongs in a Victorian science fiction book or film.

Steampunk as an Artistic Movement

As steampunk literature and the steampunk aesthetic has permeated its way into everyday fashion, films and computer games, so it has influenced artists across the globe to create steampunk inspired works of art that enjoy mainstream respect at art exhibitions and festivals. The effects of this cultural phenomena can be seen everywhere from the windows of high-street galleries where oil portraits of foxes and badgers wearing top hats and goggles brighten up the street, through ornaments and jewellery ornately decorated with gears and cogs, right up to life-size statues of people and animals made from industrial scrap to look like fantastical automatons.

Steampunk as a Subculture

A subculture is a group of people that differentiates itself from the conservative and standard values of normal society. As such, anyone who embraces any aspect of steampunk to the degree that it changes the way they think, dress or behave on a daily basis, could be classed as part of the steampunk subculture. This might manifest itself as being more polite and tolerant towards others as a result of integration with the steampunk social scene, or it might involve the adoption of steampunk fashion into everyday attire. Or both. However it happens though, if someone changes their way of life in any appreciable way towards the collective values, customs or aesthetics of the steampunk community, they would, by definition, be part of the steampunk subculture.