Rainbow: Victorian meets sci-fi in steampunk

Rainbow: Victorian meets sci-fi in steampunk
October 2, 2011
Omaha.com

ut on your goggles. We're about to have a conversation about steampunk, the techno-Victorian subculture that is officially having a pop-culture moment.

But first, we have to talk about goggles.

For reasons I'm unsure of — and that none of the four-eyed steampunks I met could explain to me — nothing says steampunk like goggles. (Google the word "steampunk." You get endless goggles, I'm telling you.)

Maybe steampunks are drawn to the mad-scientist/reckless-World-War-I pilot vibe. Or maybe all of these goggles speak to the movement's unique view of the past — and, through the past, the future.

Steampunk celebrates that era in 19th-century literature when the future loomed large. When authors such as Jules Verne and H.G. Wells imagined technological advances and progress from a distinctly Victorian point of view.

Think of "The Time Machine" and "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." Riveted submarines. Flying machines with cranks and pulleys, all flying the Union Jack.

Steampunk asks: What if our technology had advanced without leaving the steam age? What if we moved forward without moving from metal to plastic? What if you could still see the gears and pipes and vacuum tubes?

If you're thinking, "Yeah, but what's the point?" you're probably not cut out for steampunk.

If you're thinking, "That sounds wicked. ."

Well, how do you feel about bowler hats? And sea monsters? And twirly moustaches? What about watch chains and clockworks and pith helmets?

Still intrigued? It might be time to track down Joe Carver.

Carver, 46, known in some circles as "Citizen Sane," is one of the original members of the Steampunk Society of Nebraska.

The Society has 350 fans on Facebook and about 100 actual active members, people who have embraced the steampunk aesthetic with both nattily gloved hands.

For most members, Carver says, it really is more of an aesthetic than a lifestyle. People who come to Steampunk Society meetings like to dress up. "Probably half our events," he says, "are photo opportunity-centric."

They might meet at the Durham Museum or a picturesque spot on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. . Even when they're not in costume, they're talking about their gear.

Steampunk is a culture of making. To really get respect in the local community, you construct your own costumes and gadgets. You make. You modify. You repurpose.

More experienced members are happy to help newbies get started. The group's Facebook wall is filled with photos and links, even specific shopping tips — items that can be found right now at area thrift shops.

Many of the most impressive ensembles on the site were put together by Laci Neal. Neal, 27, is a professional costume-maker who was initially drawn to steampunk because she was looking for an excuse to make and wear Victorian gowns.

"I never had an outlet for that in Omaha, except for once a year. Halloween."

To make a Victorian outfit "steamy," she says, you just up the adventure and quirk factor. Add brass chains and charms, leather straps, secret pockets, mechanical details .

It's so much fun, she says, that once you start wearing steampunk clothing, it's hard to stop. "I catch myself accessorizing with brasses, and wearing little glovelets that I wouldn't normally wear."

Johnny Ireland's friends tease him about not ever wearing normal clothes anymore.

That's Capt. Johnny Ireland to members of the Steampunk Society.

The group has its own fictional airship, sort of a thematic world for their costumed characters to exist in. Johnny is the captain. Joe is the quartermaster.

Like many in the group, Johnny, 25, was interested in steampunk before he even knew that steampunk was a thing.

He liked Victorian clothes, he loved "Wild, Wild West." (Both the '60s TV show and the 1999 movie are steampunk classics.) One day, having heard the term "steampunk," he decided to Google it.

"I just got pages and pages of everything I've ever loved. I just didn't have a name for it."

Steampunk is becoming more and more recognized as it shows up in mainstream TV shows, movies and music videos. The Nebraska group's membership has tripled in the last six months.

As the community grows, the events are getting bigger and, in true steampunk fashion, more over-the-top.

Most members don't dress up for monthly meetings, but if you're coming to a Steampunk Society of Nebraska event — the Military Ball or the Valentines Social — you should definitely put some thought into your costume.

Don't worry too much about the rules. (Is this cape more steampunk or goth? Do my prosthetic tentacles look cheap?) "You can't do it wrong," Joe says, "because it's science fiction."

But you should probably start with goggles.