A Glimpse into the Steam Powered World of Steampunks

The best method to understand all the intricacies and facets of a sub-culture is to get a first-hand account of a member of said subculture.

While most people have a general idea of what steampunk looks and feels like, either from books, films, video games, or artworks found on the Internet, much less is known about the actual steampunk sub-culture. In part this is because as a sub-culture it rose to prominence fairly recently and is only now starting to be featured in the media.

A 33-year old Dubliner Kevin Walsh, an avid steampunk and an organizer of genre related events like monthly Steampunk Live Action Roleplay, agreed to try and shed some light on the subculture, how he became a part of it, and perhaps point those interested in the right direction.

Kevin said that his interest in steampunk started many years ago, probably somewhere in college. Originally it were various artworks, all the curious clockwork and steam powered devices depicted in it, the anachronistic clothing and just the general atmosphere that drew his attention.

"I can't remember exactly when I first saw something that was steampunk, but I can still remember thinking: 'Oh my God, it's so cool. He's got goggles on his top hat! What's going on?!'"

According to him, he was already interested in the goth scene and rock music at the time, and always liked the new romantic goth style. He used to wear red velvet and some clothes which, he said, "made you look like a millioner". Of course he can't afford to do that all the time, but he still has them, and occasionally wears them for evening events.

"Oh my God, it's so cool. He's got goggles on his top hat!"

" In some ways it is already similar to steampunk, with the old fashioned yet stylish clothing, with modern elements mixed in," Kevin said. describing the transition to the steampunk culture as almost natural.

The first time Kevin met actual steampunks (people who have embraced this sub-culture), was when some of his friends invited him to a Steampunk themed marketplace in Dundalk . They decided to put some effort into it and dress up. Kevin put his first steampunk costume together with bits and pieces he had in the house at the time.

"We did that several different times and that got me into it" Kevin smiled as he recollected his first venture into this sub-culture. "After that I just combined it with my own hobbies of gaming and expanded on it so it became a regular thing. As I met more people I found out about the whole steampunk sub-culture scene, and became quickly immersed in it."

Kevin talked about how he his inspiration for the costumes and the events he organises from books and movies related to the genre.

He described himself as not an enthusiastic reader, but did express strong appreciation for historical science fiction.

"It overlaps with steampunk the most" he explained further. "It is science fiction of the Victorian Era"

He then referred to the classic works of writers like Jules Verne and Herbert Wells, who invented many of the main steampunk tropes before the genre even grew into a separate entity. In particular he referred to 2,000 Leagues Under the Sea and the Time Machine, both notable not only for being very inspirational for later writers, but also for their visions of the future, many elements of which came true.

He was more divided on the modern steampunk works. While he did like some of it, in the end he said he was more interested in the sub-culture itself. In the fashion and the various "do-it-yourself" props.

"For the main part I do most of my outfits myself" he said, reinforcing his previous point. "Make, salvage, buy, find things. Like the pith helmet I ordered of an online site. The goggles are from army bargains. The vintage canteen is another thing I added to the costume. The jacket and the overcoat was bought in different shops around different shops in Temple bar. I have a Tesla Ranger badge that was brought to be from a ComiCon, and the medals are all from different countries. Some are Soviet, some are Irish. Anything that looks cool, don't inspect too closely."

"Make, salvage, buy, find things".

Kevin also said that even in his LARP group there is a person who studies prop making at his university and built himself cog-like pads over his arm, which are made to resemble a robotic arm. He also dies clothing and prop commotions for those who can afford it.

When asked if this made it hard on the pocket to be a member of this sub-culture, he quickly reassured us that it didn't have to be.

"You spent as little or as much as you feel is important", he said. "I have met people who spent all their salaries on their outfits, as well as those who made the costumes themselves from clothing they bout in second hand shops and stuff they found in the attic. And both managed to look equally interesting and impressive. Creativity shines through".

And surprisingly there are quite a few steampunk-themed events that one can visit once they have their outfit ready.

There is a Steampunk Cabaret that holds a meeting every month in Dublin. It is a perfect place for both steampunks and simply lovers of vintage fashions and style, and actively encourages the people to come in dressed in period and burlesque outfits.

Occasionally there are steampunk markets, but they are rare. The best and easiest way to stay up to date with those, according to Kevin, is to follow them online.

There are other Live Action Role Playing events besides the ones Kevin organizes. And finally there lots of various convention around the year, many of which are not fully dedicated to steamunk, but have a portion of visitors from that subculture.

It general, there is significant steampunk base in Ireland, and in Dublin in particular.

The Steampunk LARP game Kevin organises has from half a dozen to twenty regular visitors. And there are another 20 people or so who used to be involved but drifted away due to being too busy at the moment

When the aforementioned the steampunk Cabaret goes on it easily get over 200 people packing into the venue.

But while Ireland has a huge very strong steampuk base, it can be quite fractured, divided. And if a person is not already "in" the subculture, it can be a quite hard to even know about some of the events.

"You are weird too? Cool!"

Most of people interested in steampunk genre and fashion, roleplaying games and similar stuff prefer to keep it to themselves or stay within their small groups of friends who share their interests. They often don't see a need to get in touch with anyone outside their groups.

And of course then there are those who like the steampunk art, the aesthetics, the style, but don't even realize there is a sub-culture based around them. They don't know about the various websites, conventions and events that take place in Ireland. And they would probably be very interested in the subculture if they were pointed in the right direction.

Sometimes it can be hard to find the people who would be interested in becoming a part of the steampunk society, because they are often people who fell they don't fit into the mainstream society. They can be quite introvert as a result. In spite of this Kevin described the great feeling of fulfilment and belonging he feels every time when he gets them together in a room.

"It's a great moment when they realize that another person in the room shares the same interests, and start saying to each other 'You are weird too? Cool!'"

Fortunately these days it is much easier to find people who share the same interests. Thanks to the Internet and various social networks like Facebook or Bebo, find other steampunk enthusiasts has become much easier.

Even with steampunks who live outside of Ireland. Kevin in particularly often frequents the website Steampunk Empire. On a discussion page on that website he gets in touch with people and discuss both the genre and the fashion style.

"The fun part about steampunk is that no two people see it the same way," he said, explaining why he finds these conversations so fun. " For some it's all ray guns, for others it is mechanical steampunk mechs. For

some it's just the fashion sense and for others it is all about the flying ships. In their imagination everyone build their own clockwork, steam powered world".

Obviously, when Kevin goes to work or goes about his daily life, he doesn't stop being a steampunk.

"People at work kind of know I'm weird, but it's okay. I'm a retail manager and my boss knows I do my job diligently and responsibly, even if my beard changes every now and then."

And of course people in the streets notice as well, although that can be more frustrating. According to him, even on his way to the interview he got a couple of comments, but those were mostly playful or amounting to something along the lines of "Eh, come back here, I want to take a picture with you".

Kevin confessed that he is a bit divided on the attention he gets:

"I kind of like it, and kind of don't. I used to be quite shy, so felt a bit uncomfortable when people stared at me. But as you get uncomfortable you get an adrenaline rush, and a new dose of energy which helps you be on top of the situation".

But generally he finds that the weirder I look, the harder it is for people to make sense of him before he is gone.

He also agreed that maybe if he acted a bit more "normal" he might have been able to get a better job in this time of recession. After all he does know other people who are regulars at steampunk events and yet manage to hold at steady high paying jobs.

But in Kevin's opinion he has a wife, a good job, a great hobby, and a nice strong circle of friend who all share his interests. With that said, is it surprising that he, in his own words, just doesn't want to be normal.

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