Bubbler Talk listener Steve Gilbert recently discovered steampunk subculture. It blends Victorian-era fashion with science fiction. He reached out to Bubbler Talk to learn more about its local presence.
"I’m somewhat new to the scene and I’m curious as to its popularity here," Gilbert says.
The word “steampunk” can be traced back to the 1980s, but the concept has existed in science fiction literature for over a century. One of the earliest works that’s considered steampunk is the 1864 novel “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” by Jules Verne.
Since then, the steampunk aesthetic of decorative garments and steam-powered inventions has influenced many works like "Wild Wild West" and "The Golden Compass."
'Being somebody else'
Gilbert unexpectedly found his passion for steampunk last year. It was during his family’s first visit to the Bristol Renaissance Faire, shortly after his mother’s death.
"After she passed in June of last year, we were just fried," he says. "My wife took a look at me and her mother and she said, 'We've got to get out of our heads, we've got to do something to get out of this funk.' She suggested the Bristol Ren Faire."
A lot of people cosplay, or dress as fictional characters, at the Ren Faire. Gilbert’s wife went dressed as a mystic maiden. But Gilbert and his mother-in-law wore regular clothes.
"It was amazing how many people dressed up to go to this thing," Gilbert says. "Suddenly, we're looking around — it was like, we're the odd people out."
So, Gilbert went all in. He purchased a jacket and vest at the fair and joined the other cosplayers.
"It's something completely fun and it gets you out of your head and out of your existence and puts you in an environment where everybody's just having a great time being somebody else for a time," he says.
Self-expression
To get a better idea of that environment, I went to Bristol during RennCon. That’s a themed event where people dress as their favorite characters from popular culture.
I saw an impressive Paul Atreides cosplay from "Dune." Another guest was dressed as Luffy from the long-running manga series "One Piece."
I kept an eye out for steampunk looks, and Nic Heraly’s tall top hat caught my attention. It was decorated with a dragonfly pendant and steampunk goggles. He wore round reflective sunglasses and a black patterned vest. A shiny pocket watch dangled from the vest’s gold buttons.
Heraly says his interest in steampunk leveled up after meeting a coworker who shared the hobby.
"He showed me his two top hats that he had created and they were just wild, man," says Herald. "They were just awesome. I couldn't believe that he had made these."
That's when it clicked for Heraly: steampunk could be his outlet for self-expression through art.
"Up until that point I really had no idea what cosplay was," he says. "So, that kind of opened me up into that whole world in itself."
Heraly says he's not too involved with the local steampunk community, but that could soon change.
"Especially after going to the Ren Faire," says Heraly. "Having my creations being validated by so many complete strangers was very satisfying. It's definitely giving me motivation to keep going with these creations and see what other things I can come up with."
Much of southeast Wisconsin’s steampunk subculture scene centers on places like the Ren Faire and other conventions.
Steampunk enthusiast Vic Walter is very experienced with the local scene. His steampunk persona is named “Mr. Steeps.” That’s because the character Walter plays at conventions and events is a tea connoisseur, and as he describes, "the person I want to be, and I look up to in myself, and struggle to be sometimes."
The biggest steampunk gathering in Wisconsin is TeslaCon. It’s an annual convention in Madison that bills itself as “the largest immersion steampunk convention in North America.”
Each event has a theme like "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "War of the Worlds." The convention also has a continuing narrative with deep lore and recurring characters.
Walter runs the tearoom at TeslaCon where he serves thousands of cups of tea. He wears a tall hat with a teacup on top.
"I have doors that open at the base of the hat," Walter says. "There’s a little electric candle flickering inside. There’s a fire inside keeping the tea on my head very hot and ready to have tea at any point in time."
For question asker Steve Gilbert, his newfound interest in steampunk shares a common theme with Heraly and Walter.
"It's almost like I found my people," Gilbert says.
It’s also been his creative outlet and form of expression. Gilbert’s steampunk-themed characters include a gothic vampire and an aviator. He's a retired Air Force veteran with 21 years of service.
Gilbert plans to attend TeslaCon in November. Next March, the Mitchell Park Domes will host its annual Gardens & Gears Steampunk Faire.
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