Part of our Steampunk special! Look forward to more piston-powered goodness coming to you all this week!

There’s a deep irony that in the home of the silicon chip empire, inside a clean, ultra-modern hotel, a bunch of rebel scum are revelling in a realm of cogwheels and clockworks. Sunnyvale, California, is hosting the world’s first convention dedicated solely to steampunk, encompassing all fictional factions and philosophies from a dystopian parallel universe where Zeppelins roam the skies, the Empire is stalwartly British and rayguns are the weapon of choice.

The Steam Powered convention is two days and nights of guest panels, hands-on workshops and the obligatory partying, all of which is fuelled by a bountiful supply of tea and sandwiches. With a live soundtrack of waltz standards, it’s a sophisticated affair.

At the opening night’s Victorian ball, everyone gathers together dressed in fine fashions; meticulously crafted clothing covering everything from formal period ballroom attire and military uniforms to mad hatters and rocket-packed scientists.

As the convention opens, a splendid pair of steampunk Ghostbusters blast dry ice from their ectoplasmic weapons at two ghostly apparitions, while all manner of costumed revellers begin to mill around the venue, hoping to scoop the prestigious prize for best costume.

However, the award eventually goes to Holly Conrad as ‘Orpheus Alchemy’ who puts a futuristic-yet-medieval twist on the theme with some expanding gothic wings adapted from a Batman toy. “There were lots of pulp stories about weird creatures in the early 1900s, and that’s what inspired me,” she says. “Steampunk is so versatile. I admire the Victorian high-life look, but prefer to cover myself with dirt and feathers!”

A dapper Sidney Poitier from Duel At Diablo is the costume of choice for festival organiser Richard Bottoms. “There are only so many Neos that can turn up at a fan convention,” he quips. “Frankly, I look good in this steampunk stuff. This is the type of clothing we like to wear to socialise, so the convention’s a chance to do that and for people to learn how to do it better.”

“Steampunk has a human aspect to it,” says Devon Gregory, a scenic artist who’s manning the panelled Gentleman’s Club erected in the neon hotel lobby. In the wee small hours, this vintage prefab turns into the perfect retreat, though pipe-smoking isn’t permitted indoors. “Even the aesthetic of clock gears is so much more personable than circuitry,” Devon continues. “The way the gears roll and fit – it’s magical!”

This is an intimate fan convention where the organisers are as much steampunk aficionados as the attendees; everyone mingles in a hotel filled with creative designers, engineers, gearheads and information technologists. In the vendors’ hall, filled with goggles, corsetry, art and antique cufflinks, I find Kevin O’Hare, who’s offering instant photos from his ‘Chromadigigraphic’ camera – a retooled plate and bellows model from the 1880s with an inkjet printer inside.


“Steampunk is about wanting to put some class and artistry into modern technology, which tends to be cold and hard,” says Kevin, who was also a member of the team that built the convention’s Neverwas Haul, a self-propelled, three-story Victorian house. “Steampunk isn’t a rejection of technology. It’s more a rejection of the cold aesthetics of the IBM Dell industrial look. For the most part, we’re just all keen tinkerers.”

The steampunkers at the convention are all propelled by a DIY aesthetic; they’re craftspeople at heart, so it’s no surprise that the how-to workshops are particularly well-attended and filled with an energetic buzz. In fact, the electricity literally sparks from Jake Von Slatt as he demonstrates his electrostatic Wimshurst Machine, while vintage 3D photography, resin casting and leatherwork are all covered in other classes. There are even knitting lessons, courtesy of Miss Kalendar.

“After the apocalypse, I’m going to handle livestock and knitting,” Miss Kalendar says, trying not to drop a stitch. “Whatever people do with technology, I love how it inspires handicrafts. I think it’s necessary that people still engage with things on that physical level. Some people say knitting is ‘grannyish’, but doilies are great – there are so many things you can do with them.”

“Steampunk is a sustainable rebellion,” continues Jake Von Slatt. “Fashion is often the flag of a subculture, and the most visual aspect of steampunk is its top hats and goggles. But years from now, I hope that I’ll look back and see that steampunk somehow made a difference.”

But no matter what your personal feelings are towards steampunk, it’s still a fabulously creative and thrilling scene. Among the extravagantly costumed hive this weekend are environmentalists, culture jammers and members of the ‘maker movement’ of handicraft aficionados.

For a world’s first, the Steam Powered convention has highlighted the potency of an edgy and thriving subculture, one which, as long as ice caps melt continue to melt, will surely attract more and more converts.

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