Steampunk

Okay, one of the main things I wanted to blog about here is steampunk, because I was thinking about it a lot before my thinking got hijacked by the economy and the Long Now.

Hijack: It's been surreal this week because I've spent most of my evenings bouncing between learning about what's going on in the economy, listening to the SALT lectures, and then checking in with my buddy Jon Stewart. So I vacillate between a sense of urgency and drama, to a sort of "lensing out" of time, and back then again to Jon's increasing anger and impatience. It's weird, mentally stepping in and out of this millennium, particularly right now. But then, how long is Now? And how big is Here?

What I want to say about steampunk, though:

Firstly, I've always been interested in alternate history literature. From The Anubis Gates, which I read in the late 80s, to the Temeraire books I picked up last year, and my long love affair with Robert Anton Wilson-- it's an interesting thought experiment, and I love it when the authors dovetail into and out of recorded history.

Secondly, I have to admit that I love the steampunk aesthetic. Which is funny, because I also really like the Apple aesthetic, which is pretty much the diametric opposite of the lovely baroque ornamentation of steampunk. (although I really don't care for Baroque as an art movement- I liked Rococo better. Art swings through a pendulum toward and away from excess and ornamentation- either peak doesn't appeal to me. It's the "just before" and the "reaction away" parts of the pendulum that are particularly interesting and visually compelling to me)
And I think about that quite a bit- what it is it about those objects that I like so much? Steampunk harkens back to a time when everyone with the means could be a scientist, an explorer, could discover new things and tinker with new technology. The Victorian era didn't expect expertise- all the technology was wonderfully mechanical. Machines and tools could be made from other machines and tools, and everything worked on principles that could be understood by a common person with a little experimentation. One can look at a set of gears and tubes and see how they are connected, derive the purpose of the machine from it's design, solve problems with experimentation... currently it seems like all our machinery is hidden inside sleek cases that one hesitates to open, and even if you did all you'd see are circuit boards and wires and wouldn't gain any understanding of how to fix it, how to make it work differently. A car used to be a machine, and now it's a computer, and computers need to be diagnosed and repaired by experts, by specialists who have chosen to pursue one interest above all others. Our current culture discourages dabbling. I like to dabble. Just look at my resume.

Finally, there has emerged a steampunk movement. This movement draws from the literature and pays homage to the aesthetic, but isn't those things. As expressed (very well, I think) on The Steampunk Home, the steampunk movement says "Make it unique, make it your own, make it yourself". Another blog calls it "sustainable rebellion". Again, I find this value system interesting and compelling. This vast world of consumer merchandise doesn't offer what I want, so I'll make it myself. Furthermore, I don't want to buy things made in this vast consumer merchandise system- I don't want to be a consumer of goods, but a creator of the environment in which I live, a creator of my own life. At the cre8 conference, Jelly Helm asked what advertising/our economy/our culture would be like if it weren't about Things. He doesn't know the answer, and neither do I. But I think we all intuitively know that Things aren't meaningful. Steampunk is delightful because it has so many wonderful Things, but knows that Things aren't that important.