Mention steampunk to someone who has never experienced it before and chances are they'll picture one thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Goggles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Usually worn on a top hat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes with a pocket watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe carrying a walking stick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They're not wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they are only seeing the cover of a very interesting book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Steampunk isn't really about goggles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It's about imagination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every community has something that brings people together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For photographers, it's capturing moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For musicians, it's creating sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For woodworkers, it's building something with their hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Steampunk somehow manages to bring all of those worlds together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walk through any Australian steampunk event and you'll discover painters, engineers, sculptors, leatherworkers, photographers, musicians, writers, prop builders, jewellery makers, costume designers and people who simply enjoy making things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nobody tells them what to create.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nobody hands them a rule book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They simply imagine a world that never existed and then start building it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That's a rare kind of creativity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the things that makes steampunk so fascinating is that it isn't historical reenactment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nobody is trying to recreate the Victorian era exactly as it was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, we ask a simple question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"What if?\"<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n What if steam power had continued to evolve?<\/p>\n\n\n\n What if airships became the preferred way to travel?<\/p>\n\n\n\n What if computers had been built from brass gears instead of silicon chips?<\/p>\n\n\n\n What if inventors had solved tomorrow's problems using yesterday's technology?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those questions open the door to endless imagination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suddenly a wristwatch becomes an intricate mechanical navigator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A walking stick hides mysterious inventions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A simple teapot becomes the centrepiece of an elaborate scientific experiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n History becomes inspiration rather than limitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps the greatest strength of the steampunk community is its appreciation for craftsmanship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many costumes aren't bought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They're built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A waistcoat might begin life in an op shop before being transformed with brass buttons and leather trim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A toy gun becomes an elaborate Victorian invention after hours of patient work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Old clock parts find new purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pieces of timber, copper and recycled machinery become works of art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The result isn't perfection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The result is personality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every scratch tells a story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every rivet has a reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every costume reflects the imagination of the person wearing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the nicest things about Australia's steampunk community is that there isn't a right or wrong way to be involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some people build extraordinary costumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Others never dress up at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some collect books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some restore antique machinery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some perform music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some organise events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some simply enjoy meeting people who appreciate creativity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nobody is keeping score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nobody expects perfection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether you've spent five years building an airship captain's outfit or you've just bought your very first pocket watch, you'll probably be welcomed with a smile and a conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That's something worth protecting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The costume may catch your eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it's the people you'll remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You'll remember the maker who happily explained how they built a pair of goggles from plumbing fittings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You'll remember the musician who played original songs inspired by Jules Verne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You'll remember the photographer who spent twenty minutes helping someone pose for the perfect picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You'll remember the stranger who complimented your costume and became a friend before the day was over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those moments are what steampunk is really about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The costumes simply give us an excuse to meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The more people you meet, the more you'll realise that every costume hides another fascinating story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Someone made it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Someone imagined it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Someone spent evenings and weekends turning ideas into reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Steampunk Australia exists to help those stories find an audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether you're looking for makers, performers, artists, businesses or events, they're all here waiting to be discovered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And who knows?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your story might be the next one we tell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mention steampunk to someone who has never experienced it before and chances are they’ll picture one thing. Goggles. Usually worn on a top hat. Sometimes with a pocket watch. Maybe carrying a walking stick. They’re not wrong. But they are only seeing the cover of a very interesting book. Steampunk isn’t really about goggles. It’s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/steampunk.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/steampunk.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/steampunk.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/steampunk.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/steampunk.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/steampunk.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":189,"href":"https:\/\/steampunk.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187\/revisions\/189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/steampunk.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/steampunk.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/steampunk.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Handmade Matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There Is Room for Everyone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Beyond the Costume<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Discover More<\/h2>\n\n\n\n