Tag:art
Inhale the pungent aroma of engine oil and coal smoke, feel the rhythmic pulse of steam pistons, and witness a world where Victorian elegance collides with fantastical inventions. We’ve entered the realm of steampunk, a captivating genre that blends historical aesthetics, fantastical technology, and a touch of the whimsical. Think top hats and goggles adorning intrepid explorers piloting fantastical airships, or towering steam-powered machines towering over cobbled streets. This post will delve into the captivating world of steampunk, exploring its origins, key characteristics, and how it continues to inspire artists, writers, and even engineers in the 21st century. Prepare to be transported to a world where the possibilities are fueled by steam and imagination.
What is Steampunk?
The Steampunk genre is known for its imaginative and steam-powered machines that transport us to a world where Victorian culture meets futuristic technology. It’s a universe where top hats and goggles are a common sight. Where airships fly alongside brass gears, and the thrill of adventure is always present. However, Steampunk is more than just a visual style; it’s a cultural movement that promotes innovation, social commentary, and a hint of rebellion.
Steampunk originated in the 1980s as a literary genre. However, it has since evolved into a multifaceted movement that encompasses art, fashion, music, and more. The core characteristic of Steampunk is its alternate history setting, where steam power remained the dominant source of energy well into the 20th century. This divergence from reality allows creators to imagine a world where steam-driven contraptions coexist with advanced technology, giving rise to anachronistic inventions and fantastical landscapes.
Steampunk is influenced by and often adopts the style of the 19th-century scientific romances of Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, Mary Shelley, and Edward S. Ellis’s The Steam Man of the Prairies. However, Steampunk defies rigid definition. Subgenres like dieselpunk (diesel technology instead of steam) and clockpunk (emphasis on intricate clockwork) showcase it’s diversity.
Victorian Dreams, Powered by Steam:
Steampunk is a genre inspired by the Victorian era and characterised by a romanticised vision of the period. Beyond its visual appeal, Steampunk is also a storytelling genre that explores themes of adventure, exploration, and societal upheaval. Works of Steampunk fiction often feature intrepid explorers, mad scientists, and dashing airship captains navigating a world teetering on the brink of change. Whether set in an alternate Victorian England or a post-apocalyptic future, these stories capture the imagination with their blend of historical detail and speculative fiction.
The steampunk aesthetic is of an era where people are dressed in elaborate garments and steam-powered machines tower over busy cities covered in fog. Brass gears, leather corsets, and clockwork mechanisms abound. It’s a visual feast that pays homage to an era of craftsmanship and innovation. However, the genre is not a historical replica but a blend of familiar Victorian elements with fantastical inventions embodying the era’s spirit of exploration, technological advancements, and a sense of wonder.
In Steampunk, technology takes a different path from our reality. Electricity is replaced by steam, and clockwork devices whisper secrets while giant mechanical machines move on land and air. The genre is a form of “retrofuturism,” which combines the nostalgia of the past with the possibility of futuristic inventions. In Steampunk, cities are lit by gaslight instead of neon, creating a unique ambience that transports the reader to a different time and place.
Beyond Aesthetics: Themes and Narratives:
Steampunk is more than just a visually pleasing genre; it’s rich in themes and narratives that remain relevant even today. It leverages the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution’s rapid advancements and societal changes. In doing so it explors the themes of progress, class struggles, and the relationship between humans and technology.
Many steampunk stories tackle the social inequalities that originate from technological advancements. The wealthy elite often controls these technological marvels, while the working class endures in factories amidst the grime and soot. This dichotomy fuels narratives of resistance, where inventors, outcasts, and adventurers challenge the established order.
Steampunk also explores the dark side of progress. While steam-powered marvels bring convenience and wonder, they can also be sources of pollution, oppression, and ecological devastation. This tension between innovation and its consequences is a recurring theme, prompting reflection on our own technological journey.
Beyond the Page: A Multifaceted Phenomenon:
Steampunk is not limited to literature alone. It extends to several other fields like movies, video games, fashion, music, and even real-life communities. Steampunk-themed films such as Wild, Wild West, Hugo and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen transport viewers to the world of Steampunk. Similarly, video games such as “Bioshock” and “Dishonored” offer interactive steampunk experiences.
On the other hand, fashion embraces Victorian silhouettes and incorporates gears, goggles, and other steampunk elements into clothing and accessories. Steampunk music often blends Victorian instruments with electronic and industrial sounds, creating a unique sonic landscape. Enthusiasts of Steampunk gather at conventions and events, immersing themselves in the world through elaborate costumes, role-playing, and craftsmanship.
The Enduring Allure of Steampunk:
The world of Steampunk is enduringly appealing because it allows us to escape into a limitless world of imagination. It allows us to explore parallel timelines. To question our own technological advancements and revel in the beauty and potential of invention. This escapism is more than just fantasy; it serves as a starting point for self-reflection on history, progress and where we stand in the world.
Steampunk will continue to captivate our hearts and minds as long as humans crave adventure, innovation and a hint of Victorian opulence. It’s a genre that encourages us to experiment with the past. To reimagine the future and contemplate what it means to be human in a world driven by technology.
Note: all images created in MidJourney AI
In 1999, the marketing committee of Shepparton Show Me introduced Merry Moos for a Christmas campaign. The Merry Moos was so successful it evolved into Moooving Art. The Shepparton cows all sport whimsical artwork and are forever moooving around Shepparton and the Goulburn Valley.
Moooving Art Shepparton is a tribute to the strength of the dairy industry in Greater Shepparton. The region produces a large percentage of Australia’s dairy exports, evidenced by the number of grazing cows driving through the Goulburn Valley. Therefore, cows were an obvious choice for public art. Moooving Art is both a unique and innovative way to increase the dairy profile while also increasing public art in the region.
Moooving herd
There are ninety cows in the herd, scattered around towns in the Greater Shepparton area. However, not all are on display at one time. Shepparton Council publishes a list of locations; however, as the herd is always on the move due to events or repairs – it’s not always up to date. As of January 2023, thirty-seven cows are out to pasture Due to sun damage and wear and tear, some are waiting to be repaired, and others are having a makeover.
Certificate of Excellence
The three-dimensional, life-sized cows are the canvas for emerging artists to paint and decorate. In 2018 Moooving Art was awarded a Certificate of Excellence by Trip Advisor
Abandoned and vacant since the 1990’s Burnham Beeches’ decaying glory has been hidden behind large fences for the last 20 years. But this week, it was again filled with people, all there for the Empire Exhibition by Rone.
The Burnham project reimagines the spirit of one of Victoria’s landmark mansions, not accessed since the 1980s. Through this, viewers are invited to consider what remains – the unseen cultural, social, artistic and spiritual heritage which produces intangible meaning.
Rone
Burnham Beeches
Built between 1931-1933, Burnham Beeches was the home for Alfred Nicholas and his family. The adjoining 23 hectares of Alfred Nicholas Gardens were part of the property. It was effectively their ‘backyard’ but was donated to the local shire for public use after Alfred died.
Alfred passed away in 1937, and the family offered the home for use as a children’s hospital during WWII before becoming a medical and veterinary research facility in the 1950s. During the 1980’s it operated as a luxury hotel before being closed up in the early 1990s. Shannon Bennet then purchased it with Adam Garrison in 2010, and a major redevelopment planned at the exhibition’s end.
Plans for the site included removing a cap on patron numbers, turning the Norris building — built in the 1930s and now in state of disrepair — into a six-star hotel, and adding a microbrewery, shop and new restaurant inside the existing Piggery Cafe
Herald Sun Oct 2018
The exhibition runs until the end of April 2019. Following the close of the exhibition, the artwork will be removed. After that, the mansion will be returned to bare walls, and renovations will finally commence.
The Exhibition
Rone worked on the installation of the empire exhibition for over 12 months, with interior stylist Carly Spooner staging the rooms to reflect Rone’s concept of a mansion where the owners just walked out…and the mansion sat, decaying for the last 25 yrs, hidden from view. Again, Rone’s famous ‘jane doe’ portraits adorn 11 rooms with his model, this time being Lily Sullivan, famous for her role in Picnic At Hanging Rock.
The exhibition- being so long in the making was a huge gamble for Rone, but with every day sold out a week after the opening, it looks like it’s paid off for him. He is quoted as saying that he hopes to break even; I don’t think there’s any risk of that not happening – and in fact, I hope it brings him much more fame, glory and a good income.
The exhibition is amazing and something I am so grateful for not having missed out on.
Empire by Rone
March 6th to April 22nd
Burnham Beeches, Sherbrook Road
Sherbrooke, Victoria