March of the Typewriter! Topic: Steampunk

[alivemagdolene]

It's the March of the Typewriter project! I'm glad I didn't even bother to do it day by day since I knew that wouldn't work and here we are a week into March.

I'm slightly cheating since despite my begging you all for topics, my first is something that I've wanted to write about for a long time.


The skirt sold me on the graphic.

TOPIC: Steampunk

Many years ago, I heard the term "steampunk" and saw this graphic:


Bigger picture and alternate angle here and here.

I made the mistake of interpreting the term entirely by the photo. While I (obviously) did come to find out what steampunk actually is and means, I'm kinda disappointed that it's not what I originally thought.

So what did I originally think?

I thought it was what I always thought of my philosophy on "vintage" things: it takes the aesthetics of the era and combines them with the advancements of the modern day.

You can have your fully-functioning PC, and it's delightfully decked out with oversized typewriter buttons. You have your fully-functioning monitor, and it looks like an adjustable picture frame. You have your fully-functioning mouse, and it looks like a part of a telegraph.

You can have your progressive society that continues to progress and work for justice, and it's delightfully decked out in vintage attire, bopping along to Cab Calloway and Helen Kane, digging the new Silent film.

The mind reels! Mp3-players that look like vintage powder compacts!
SMART PHONES THAT LOOK LIKE VINTAGE HAND MIRRORS. A TV AND DVD-PLAYER/BLU-RAY DEVICE THAT LOOK LIKE A VINTAGE MIRROR and VINTAGE BRIEFCASES, GODDAMMIT.

So you can imagine that I was a little disappointed to learn the actual, admittedly still pretty cool history/meaning of the term.

But my original concept of steampunk was what I take with me about vintage things and what I'd love to see really take hold.

Comments

[queer-theory.livejournal.com]

I honestly thought the same when I first came across Steampunk. The only aspect of it I was familiar with for the longest time related to aesthetics, so I imagined it was just some new sort of design concept. And I was all for it. That computer was the first thing I saw too, and I thought it was stunning. Agreed... the history/meaning of the term is pretty fucking cool too, but I'm still completely in love with the aesthetic aspects.

[alivemagdolene.livejournal.com]

Given my loathing of technology set in "the future" that's not intended to be for comedy, I actually adore the idea of trying to make a film NOT look dated as fuck.

I need to stop thinking up fun costumes/activities for us for if when we hang out in person. But steampunk ensembles would be tres rad.

[queer-theory.livejournal.com]

I enjoy the idea that our future hang-outs will have some kind of dress-up theme. This is something I could get behind.

[alivemagdolene.livejournal.com]

The mix-em-ups sound extra fun. After we do Statler and Waldorf and steampunk countesses... STEAMPUNK STATLER AND WALDORF!

There are more, of course. And there will be singing (hopefully you will drown me out).

[queer-theory.livejournal.com]

You have more faith in my singing ability than I do. I think we'd sound lovely together, and I wouldn't drown you out at all. :D

And after those three, we'd each dress as our favorite classic film stars. Perhaps we can take a series of photographs in the style of these favorites. I volunteer for this one...

[alivemagdolene.livejournal.com]

I support this like burning, burning in a good way.