Steampunk

[Trid]

My most current style obsession has been "Steampunk." If you're not already familiar, think back to the Will Smith remake of "Wild Wild West" in the context of modern gizmos and doohickeys that work on Victorian-era clockwork, gears, springs, and such, of course powered by steam (typically).

 

So then...would it not be quite nifty to have/make/find a steampunk inspired absinthe spoon (or any other accessory or combination thereof)? Mr. Google has turned up naught. Being the DIY'er that I am, I think I'm going to see what I can concoct, either by way of designs, or perhaps even prototypes.

 

Some of my inspiration (and possibly technique) has come from here.

How nifty is that keyboard and monitor???

Also, additional inspiration has come from this place.

As I tear off into the mayhem of my mind, it leaves me wondering...do any of you have any ideas or thoughts along these lines?

 

Yeah, I know I'm nuts, but it's what I do

 

Semi-related:

I spent the weekend camping with a student glassblower. I'm already sketching out commissions

 

Edited to add:

The potential for a right nifty (yes, I'm quite fond of those words) fountain exists within the realm and aesthetic of steampunk. Brass, copper, glass, valves, spouts...why do the good ideas come just as you're falling asleep?

Edited September 5, 2007 by Trid

[Gwydion Stone]

Steampunk rules. I haven't seen the WWW remake, but any of the HG Wells "Time Machine" movies should get the idea across.

[elfnmagik]

A fountain would be cool.

[AlyssaDyane]

I can not believe that I have never contemplated Steampunk thing-a-ma-jigs. I can't stop looking at all this stuff. I want a steampunk LCD tv. Great more shite to spend my ducats on.

[Brooks]

I like the Necropathic Spectrograph....

 

.......but it's ALL cool stuff. Never heard of steampunk. Thanks, Trid!

.

[ShaiHulud]

Damn! I bet Mrs. Hiram is all over that. Pensive would want it too but she has played too much Fatal Frame.

[scaper8]

That keyboard is amazing, I've got to make one.

[Daniel Lyons]

It's cool stuff. I started to read a book "The Difference Engine," supposedly set in a steampunk world. I have the rulebook for a steampunk RPG called Forgotten Futures but I never did read it or play it. Great links!

[peridot]

Wow, I didn't even know people made this stuff until I wandered into this thread and now I want everything I own to be made that way.

[Brooks]

That was exactly my reaction.

[Trid]

I'm so insanely jealous of the people who get to go to work in this office.

They...have...a...bar...

 

Sidenote:

I've already begun preliminary sketches of my steampunk fountain...stay tuned.

[Pan Buh]

Thanks for the education.

 

Reminds when Brevans came to the market there was that photo of Giger and Markus and all I could see was the totally inappropriate, conventional fountain. Still wish Giger would take a crack at reinventing the fountain.

[Brooks]

That could be spectacular.

[Trid]

Oh yes...I have to second that!

[printmkr]

and of course you are going to want to buy your own steampunk raygun. Collect 'em and trade 'em!

 

RayGuns

[Fever]

Still wish Giger would take a crack at reinventing the fountain.

 

Great idea. That made me think about the Korova Milk Bar in A Clockwork Orange for some reason. A mix between the "milk" dispensers and Gigers work would be gorgeous.

 

ps: on topic: That office is cool. To bad not much, if anything, is actually functional but rather only aesthetic. Most steampunk is I guess.

Edited September 6, 2007 by Fever

[Gwydion Stone]

Wow, I didn't even know people made this stuff until I wandered into this thread and now I want everything I own to be made that way.

I've always had more of an anachronistic taste and years ago thought about ways to make my computer and monitor look like antiques. Then about a year or so ago I heard of Steampunk. All this time I thought it was "antiquifying."

 

I too will be working on a Steampunk fountain.

[speedle]

When I was younger the parents of a friend of mine had a fancy dining establishment called "Captain Nemo's"

that probably was developed to try and take advantage of the Disney movie 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It was a very complete and thorough job as I recall, and that office in the pics made it all come right back into my head. Very cool. I used to love hanging out at that place when it was closed, just looking at all the Jules Verne detailing. Even had a secret room!

[Robert (DrinkBoy) Hess]

SteamPunk ranges from the classic and elegant "Victorian" inspired designs often seen in H. G. Wells movies (as mentioned earlier), all the way to the more eclectic "retrofit" designs as shown in Terry Gilliam's movie "Brazil". And of course all stages between those two.

 

Myself, I'd tend more toward the Victorian inspiration for an Absinthe set.

 

[ejellest]

While I don't believe any Absinthe is involved the second "Thief" computer game, "The Metal Age" had significant steampunk themes.

 

Another author I really enjoy is China Miéville. His books "Perdido Street Station", "The Scar", and "The Iron Council" are sort of Steam Punk-ish.

 

~Erik

[hissykitties]

Thanks for the link to the Brass Goggles site. I know some folks who are into Steampunk and do some costuming based on the genre. I was just getting ready to suggest to a friend yesterday about doing a Jules Verne group when she posted some recent sketches.

[Gwydion Stone]

Oooh! City of Lost Children. Very Steampunk.

[hissykitties]

I love City of Lost Children. Need to dust of my copy.

 

I was thrilled when Delicatessen FINALLY came out on dvd last year.

[Brooks]

Wooo! Check out this guy's PC setup. It's still in mock-up, but he's working on it. How 'bout that CD drive mounted over the Underwood?! Is that great looking, or what?

[LeRoy]

That is freekin' incredible!

[ShaiHulud]

That is super cool. I have had tattoos on the brain lately and now all I can think about is pulling off my shirt and having a half body steampunk tattoo. Skin pealed back to reveal all the gears etc...

[Wild Bill Turkey]

Tattoos on the brain must be really painful. Hope you're not thinking of getting a piercing there, too.

 

Besides, Shai, I'd have thought you'd check out the Sword on the website Brooks linked to. Kind of reminds me of those offset-handle bread knives.

[Robert (DrinkBoy) Hess]

That sword reminds me of what they used in "Dark Crystal"... I guess that's moving us away from the Steampunk intent of this thread. But a Brian Froud inspired Fountain could also be cool.

[Gertz]

I have been fascinated with all things steampunk-ish for a long time, especially as seen in the Schuiten & Peeters' graphic novels "Cities of the Fantastic", but I only recently learned that there was a word for it.

 

About a steampunk absinthe spoon - well, aren't absinthe spoons as such already pretty much objects of that style?

[Wild Bill Turkey]

Agreed. For that matter, the Frenchman repros of XIXth century fountains are already pretty well keyed to the look. What really makes steampunk look great is it "retrifies" modern technology, like computers.