WHAT IS STEAMPUNK?

As explained by the Steam Paper - The Ministry of Steampunk.

Well to begin with let’s clear up the name. “Steampunk” started as a joke. There was a movement in science fiction to write in a genre known as “Cyberpunk”. When various writers began exploring similar concepts and ideas but setting them in a pseudo-Victorian world the term steampunk was jokingly coined. The name stuck but even steampunks are constantly debating “well what is steampunk?” Like all communities however steampunk has grown and developed a life of its own.

​A Diverse Community

Steampunk now encompasses a wide variety of input from a highly creative and artistic community. It includes writers, musicians, dancers, sculptors, model makers, costume makers and a host of other disciplines and skills.  It has been summed up as; “Well can you imagine what things would be like if the Great Exhibition had never finished?"

​Traditional Values

Steampunks try to take some of the very best parts of the past and make them part of a bright future.  We value good manners and polite conduct and try to encourage this by setting an example for others. We think things should be made to a high quality and to last thus helping the environment. We value and encourage creativity and have been asked to collaborate in educational and arts projects across the country.

All-inclusive

Whilst things are set in a pseudo-historical world which harks back to our Victorian heritage we do not promote any of the inequalities of that past. Indeed ours is deliberately an all inclusive community. You will find steampunks of all ages, genders, abilities and ethnic backgrounds. We also come from all walks of life from students to academics and from comedians to solicitors.

​Polite Rebels!

Can you still call it steam-PUNK?  Punk in the seventies was a rebellion against contemporary society.  We are most definitely rebelling but we are making a stand against: throwaway society, poor manners and antisocial behaviour, homogenisation and commercialism.

 We are punks who are polite, friendly, care about the environment and the past and encourage creativity.

​The DIY ethic is very strong in steampunk. With creativity being the main common denominator this is hardly surprising. It also fits in with our philosophy on sustainability, durability and craftsmanship. It is more environmentally friendly to take an object and repurpose it giving it a whole new lease of life than to recycle it.

​A Maker Culture

Steampunks often make or modify everyday objects to fit the neo-Victorian aesthetic. This could be making a wood and brass cabinet for your PC or a mock raygun suitable for an adventure with Jules Verne.

​Steampunk started as a science fiction genre but it is now a community and has its own fashions, music and tastes. We are a community that enjoys socialising, often dressing in distinctive steampunk fashions. We visit historical sites as well as enjoying music gigs and performances.

​Welcome to Newcomers

We welcome the “Steam-curious” – say hello, ask questions – there are no barriers to steampunk – and frighteningly for some, no rules about what exactly steampunk is.

​For many of us, two words have come to sum up what we aspire to as a steampunk community; Be Splendid!

​Why no Pictures?

You might have noticed that this is the one page of this website that contains no photographs. This is deliberate. As you can see from the above, steampunk is a broad genre of creativity and spleandidness. There is no single image or group of images that could be included alongside a 'definition' of steampunk.

 If you are looking for inspiration on the visual aesthetic, feel free to explore elsewhere in this website, on our Facebook page 'Welcome to the Asylum' and more generally online. You will not be short of inspiration.