Interview with Brass Goggles’ “Tinkergirl”
by Paul
Fuhr
The world of Steampunk is replete with
mind-boggling inventions and innovations, spanning virtually every area of
popular culture: novels, films, clothing, even music. A plunge into Steampunk
is like slipping into a secret world—a creative underground populated by basement
tinkerers and industrial engineers alike. It is a testament to an alternate
world perched on the edge of discovery, propelled forward by steam and
boundless imagination. Steampunk evokes a sense of awe, unparalleled craftmanship, and the unmistakable sense
that our past cannot only be revisited, but reconstructed.
Since July 2006,
“Tinkergirl” has committed herself to creating one of the most
widely-viewed Steampunk destinations on the web, Brass Goggles.
Covering everything from Victorian-steeped artwork, fiction about
cowboys and zeppelins traversing the Wild West, and such homespun creations as
“antiqued” Sony Playstation systems, her blog is a leading authority on
all things gearshaft and whirligig. Our interview with “Tinkergirl”
explores her own infatuation with the brass-and-rivet genre, the
challenge of locating Steampunk’s origins, and much more.
A simple first question: what is it about Steampunk that appeals to you?
Oh,
goodness. If this is a simple one, I dread the rest! I think it's
a combination of two of my loves: making things, and things that feel
nice. I'm both a closet inventor and a sensualist, so Steampunk
combines the work ethic of a lone, unconventional creator making
impossible things (of which I must think of at least two before
breakfast) with really amazing materials like velvet, varnished wood,
cool shiny brass and thick wobbly glass. There are other aspects to it,
of course: the adventure, the glorification of science and scientists,
the politeness, and striding into the unknown with a solid belief that
you'll do marvelously.
I grew up in Milan, Ohio – the birthplace of Thomas Edison. Do you think Steampunk is decidedly more English than American?
It's
a tricky one, that—though I'll take it to mean British. (Being a Scot,
it does make a difference, since we did a great deal of inventing in
the Victorian era.) There's various flavors of Steampunk, and you
could differentiate between the Gentleman Inventor flavor and the
Exceedingly Wild West type. Amusingly though, Steampunk has been
international for as long as I can imagine. You mention Edison, but his
Steampunk-feted counterpart Tesla was neither American nor British, and
so very much of the style of Steampunk comes from Jules Verne, a
Frenchman.
Japan has their own wonderful take on Steampunk (Hayao Miyazaki's films being the
most
famous examples, most likely) and even Korean MMORPGs [Massive(ly)
multiplayer online role-playing game] contain significant Steampunk
elements. Other countries and continents: Russia, India, Australia, and
Canada have their own elements, and I'm sure there's still more to
find. I think that any country with a very strong 19th century identity
featuring the (sometimes scary) rise of technology has a Steampunk
heritage.
Your blog is a
lightning-rod for inventors and innovators who come up with 19th
century spins on 21st century technologies. Do you think it says
something about contemporary culture when we try to reinvent or better
the past?
I'd say yes, at least at some level. Some
people are drawn to Steampunk as a patinaed phoenix of the
home-inventor spirit—tired of leaving all the “technical stuff” to
others and being left at their mercy. They'll know how it works because
they made it themselves and it does exactly what they want, and they
can fix it too. That's perhaps a reaction against the
blackbox-massproduced nature of modern technology.
Other
people are drawn to it for entirely different reasons. For them, it's
because the style of living today is sleek brushed aluminium or
magnolia paint, and they'd rather have wood and copper. Yet others seek
the escapism of Steampunk fiction, possibly as a temporary release from
a world where there are no simply evil subterannean-monsters to smite,
and trips to the moon are held back by such mundane things as finances
and safety. Steampunk wouldn't exist if it didn't provide people with
something that they want: escapism, style, ethos or solidity. There's
something that it fills a requirement for.
What innovations, designs, or creations (featured on your blog) have surprised you the most?
Surprised
me? Well, I think perhaps the Victorian idea of putting people
through pneumatic tubes amused me greatly as an idea. It's just
not something that I had associated with them, but seemed so obvious
later. I also loved the solo submarine that someone constructed some
time ago—the idea of having schools of them flitting like multicolored
fireflies still fires my imagination. Oh, and the French pedal-powered
airship to cross the Channel—that's something that pleased me greatly.
I think it's hard to say that things have surprised me, more than
delighted me.
In your opinion, where or when does Steampunk "officially" originate?
Oh,
if I could worm my way out of answering that one, I'd like to. My
opinion is that while there’s a difference between Victorian science
fiction and Steampunk (one is old-sci-fi, and the other is sci-fi done
old-style), I personally like to lump them together. So while
“officially”
Steampunk might be more associated with [Michael
Moorcock’s novel] The Warlord of the Air or [Bruce Sterling and William
Gibson’s novel] The Difference Engine, as I dump them together I also
look very much to the mid-19th century Verne and Wells, even though
there were no doubt Victorian Sci-Fi before those two giants.
Have
you ever been inspired (or aspire) to design something Steampunk-wise
beyond Brass Goggles? Something in the "real world,” maybe?
Oh,
very much so! My problem is too many ideas and not enough staying
power. While I've dabbled in cog-shaped cookie cutters,
Steampunk-themed embroidery, and making my own goggles, my list of
unfinished projects is far longer and more shameful. At the moment,
I've got a computer game, a picture frame and a kaleidoscope
(reinvented in 1816) on the go, and I do
sincerely hope to finish
them. The game, in particular. Actually, now that I think of it, I've
got two games on the go. The reason I don't mention them is that I have
a terrible habit of not finishing things, and getting distracted by
some new idea. It seems unfair to enthuse about my
ideas and never complete them.
It
appears that you actively travel to different estates and shows (e.g.
Shugborough Hall) to indulge in the Victorian aesthetic. Is it
important to see the Victorian era up close and personal?
Well,
I definitely think it is for me. In my flights of fancy, while I've not
got a Steampunk theme park to go to, I can quite happily imagine that,
just around the corner of these Victorian places, there's some
Steampunk itching to get out. It also helps that the more that I know
about the
Victorian way of life, the more I can see how Steampunk
contrasts or complements it. The fact that there's frequently a lot of
steam engines at these places has absolutely nothing to do with it— I
don't know who told you those lies. Honest. Ahem.
Might
you name five quintessential (or your favorite) Steampunk aspects,
moments, films, or elements from recent popular culture?
In no particular order, then:
1. The Time Machine machine.
It's a beautiful recreation of one of the most beloved of Steampunk (or
VSF) inventions. It is a shame the [2002 remake starring Guy Pearce]
wasn't so well-made.
2. The Prestige.
The moment in [the film] when you see the field full of lights—all
powered by the magic of science. It's a secret thing, and cannot
be understood by mere magicians, but something that fires the
imagination. Though the moment with the malfunctioning Tesla coils is
rather exciting. Would you stay to watch, or run in fear?
3. World of Warcraft.
As an inescapable part of modern culture, [the game] has the Steampunk
technology of the gnomes and goblins. Both favor brass and rivets, with
great clanking contraptions that are as unreliable as they are
handsome. Seeing technology as a risky alternative to magic amuses me,
and I'm glad that in the Warcraft mythos technology is used for both
good and evil.
4. The Golden Compass.
It's a rather magical Steampunk, but there are airships to be had and
mysterious devices rendered in beautiful metals. I will admit to being
an airship nut, so this and the upcoming Stardust film with their
airships have me rather excited.
5. Scrapheap Challenge/Junkyard Wars.
While not Victorian, nor specifically steam, it gives a marvelous
insight into the challenges of making something from whatever you have
available. Frequently, they'll find odd ways to achieve their goals,
and usually decorate it in some slapdash but terribly proud manner. If
they ever do a Victorian version, I'll be glued to it for life.
Aside from, say, The Difference Engine, what steampunk/alternative history titles might you recommend?
Oh,
now much to my shame I've not been reading as much as I should be. (My
to-read pile is becoming scary.) So, while I have several books ready
to read, I can't really recommend them until I have read them. In my
pile at the moment, however, is The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters,
The Diamond Age and Larklight. I've been reading the young-person's
fiction series of books known as The Hungry City Chronicles but while I
find them exciting enough for the most part, the endings seem weak. I
have yet to read the third in the series, however.
What steampunk artists would you recommend?
The
three I'd recommend most highly would be Crabfu (I-Wei Huang),
Datamancer, and Mr Jake Von Slatt. Those three are the most
Steampunk-orientated creators that I know of presently. There are
others who are doing marvelous things, but I think they would agree
that those three are the most prolific. Lovely people, too!
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