Steampunk!
Joey Marsocci a.k.a Dr.Grymm
copyright Steam Gear Lab
Article by Veronica Mihalopoulos
I am a late bloomer. I did not notice Steampunk till the late 90’s. Recently I began to see the costumes at Comic Con and thought…hmmm? I wanted to know more about this look. In this article I interview Joey Marsocci from Steam Gear Labs. “Steam Gear Lab is a twofold industry. They produce props, create makeup effects and provide production design services for film, stage and television. They are also a fine purveyor of Steampunk haberdashery, mad science accoutrements, science guns and wonders of all kinds. All of their wares are hand crafted by two mad geniuses with over 25 years of model making, painting and fabrication experience between them.”
copyright Steam Gear Lab
When my coworker James sent me over to steamgearlab.com I was like a kid in a candy store. The artistry of each gadget, pairs of goggles and science guns leaves the brain highly stimulated. That is what fascinates me most about Steampunk. It goes beyond fashion. It is an art on every level. I am so glad that Joey agreed to take time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions I had about Steampunk. I will let Joey tell you all about how he got involved with Steampunk and Steam Gear Labs in his own words.
copyright Steam Gear Lab
For those of you not familiar with Steampunk, you are probably wondering ‘what in the world’? As Joey put it best “Today, the Steampunk movement is alive with artistic creation and ideas to bring ‘a world that never happened’ into reality”. Most of the Steampunk styles I have seen have Victorian or Western flares (but not limited to), hand crafted aviator style goggles with some sort of accessory/ gadget that is futuristic but with an old world feel to it. As if to suggest that the item was fabricated or invented in an antiquated time, in an alternate age where the industrial revolution began booming.
copyright Steam Gear Lab
Steampunk is influenced by a time in the 1800’s that began exploring technology. The introduction of steam power which was fueled primarily by coal, led to building trains and canals which opened a wider market for trade. This meant a greater opportunity for making money. Innovators all over the world were brainstorming ideas and dreaming of possibilities from deep within the imagination. Inventions were increasing to help simplify the daily labors of life. With the second run of the industrial revolution, steam powered ships were invented. Little by little the world started on this race against time. Manufacturing began to grow world wide. Thus began supply and demand for faster more advanced models of machinery. Each inventor trying to outdo the other.
Amelia Earhart Navigational System
The industrial revolution did happen. However, imagine what something from today’s technology would look like if it was made from materials available to us in the 1800’s, authentic with a techno sci-fi, but yet futuristic twist. "Fictional technology". Most of what I have seen from the Steampunk movement is highly stylized yet powered by the imagination and the romanticism with an era that was still in a virginal state of technological exploration. Where the simple organic life could be restored or replaced with gears and machinery powered by steam. If you want a visual picture look up a show from the mid 60’s called “Wild, Wild West”. This is Steampunk before there was a name for it. Better yet, Steam Gear Lab revamped the iPod and named it “Eye-pod Victrola”. This will give you an idea of what kind of artistry goes into creating Steampunk.
copyright Steam Gear Lab
As a side note we can see in history where our changing world and technological advancement could have sparked this creative underground subculture. There have been many novels that led to Steampunk becoming a cosplay reality in our world. Who can forget the folklore about John Henry? He was a steel drivin’ man who refused to accept that his job could be replaced by a steam powered machine. He died trying to prove he was faster than the drill by accepting a challenge to race the steam powered machine. This folklore is one of the greatest examples of man vs. machine and the affects technological advances had on the industrial world.
Enough of my ranting. Let us just say I get it now. Joey sent his comments over to me via email. He apologized for being too wordy. This is not true. You will love this interview as I did. Joey is very charismatic and very detailed. Because of this interview I learned a lot and I am even more intrigued by Steampunk than ever! Now it is me that must apologize for being too wordy.
Let us get to the interview from an expert on Steampunk!
1. What is Steampunk and when did it first come to fruition as part of one of the underground subcultures?
A. Steampunk offers a melding of late 1800's aesthetic with scientific discovery and other-worldly technology. The term “Steampunk” was first used in the late 1980's to give a label to the literary works of K.W. Jeter, Tim Powers, and James Blaylock, although the aesthetic of Steampunk has been around much longer.
2. When was the first time you were exposed to Steampunk and what was your initial reaction?
A. Non professionally, my first exposure to Steampunk was reading “Journey to the Center of the Earth” when I was about 9. I have been designing strange contraptions and weird vehicles since then. Professionally, it was when I was on a design team in college to produce a proposal for a new “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea theme park attraction.
3. How did you get involved with creating Steampunk art?
A. Our website, SteamGearLab.com was originally created to showcase some of our “Science Guns” and various Goggles, which are a staple of our company. More recently since Steampunk has reached the tipping point, we were contacted by several producers in Film and Television, asking about creating Steampunk props based on our designs and creations. As each or our contraptions have a clear defined theme or story to them, it was easy to make the jump from a Steampunk art piece to a film prop. Our clients usual consensus is that our props look the most “authentic”, as if they have been pulled from a time that never existed.
4. Please tell us about your studio?
A. The “Lab” is a humble 3 room space at approx 1500 sq ft. that houses bins upon bins of bits and pieces scavenged from old brass clocks and lamps and peculiar odds and ends we find at flea markets. Most of our tools are hand tools which gives the building process a more historical feel.
5. Are you working on any new projects you can tell us a little about?
A. Although I cannot speak of the weapons we are currently building for two different film studios,we are preparing for a Gallery show on May 1st entitled “Steampunk Bizarre”. Some of the featured pieces for the show are a Time Travel gun based on H.G. Welles “The Time Machine”, a Weather Control gun, and several contraptions that run off of the brains of some highly notable historical figures.
6. Is Steampunk more fantasy or science fiction?
A. We would have to say it leans heavily towards science fiction, although there is a hint fantasy to it when the stories deal with such topics as the adventures of Sky Pirates or steam powered giant squid.
7.Why is Steampunk influenced by the Victorian Era of Fashion with a highly stylized mix of industrial invention and science fiction?
A. Today, the Steampunk movement is alive with artistic creation and ideas to bring “a world that never happened” into reality. Steampunk artists create an alternate world not bound by the modern millennial conventions of physics, science and convenience technology. Steampunk is another outlet for artists to build with their hands and their imaginations, just as the great innovators of the Industrial Revolution did.
8. Are there any great classic literary writers that have in any shape or form contributed to the Steampunk movement?
A. Mary Shelley, H.G. Welles, and Jules Verne would have to be at the top of our list for the imagination behind Steampunk.
9. What does Steampunk mean to you?
A. Steam Gear Lab defines Steampunk as “The scholar's science fiction”.
10. What attracts you most to Steampunk?
A. As artists, building Steampunk contraptions is like building Legos. The bits and pieces we find in our travels all belong to certain creations that stir in our minds. and finding just the right place for those pieces genuinely stirs our imagination. I believe that Steampunk is not limited by it's audience such as some other fantasy sub-cultures are. It allows some of man kinds most defining moments as innovators to be taken to another level where science and art can move together.
11. How do you come up with your inventions? What influences your imagination?
A. Most of the devices built by Doctor Grymm and Professor Gauthier are a deconstruction of modern day inventions. I believe this is what sets our work apart from others. Some current Steampunk artists will take a computer and make it look Victorian by adorning it with custom brass fixtures and wooden cases, and although this is sometimes the case at Steam Gear Lab such as the example of Doctor Grymm's “Eye-Pod”, We tend to take a different approach by asking, “What would this device have looked like in the 1800's of it were to be powered by steam and crystals?”. The end result can be seen with our Amelia Earhart Navigational System, which is steam powered and controlled by the brain of Amelia herself. Today this device would be called a GPS.
12.Can you recommend any good movies, bands or literature that is considered Steampunk?
A. Currently, some more popular Steampunk bands are Dr. Steel, Abney Park, Vernian Process and Emilie Autumn. The Steampunk Aesthetic can be clearly seen in films such as Frankenstein, The City of Lost Children, and The Hellboy series to name a few. Some more recent literary work would be Infernal Devices, The Anubis Gates, and Girl Genius Comics.
13.What is the most important thing to remember while putting together a Steampunk costume?
A. Some would say that goggles are to Steampunk as a Mohawk is to punk rock, however there are several different takes on Steampunk costumes ranging from traditional Victorian garb, to a more Gothic approach with leather belts and clasps. Some more modern looks have been created by the designer Kato at steampunkcouture.com. While other fashions include simulated robotic limbs and adornments. Also the base outfits of these costumes are not limited to Victorian, they travel the world from European, to Japan, to the old West as long as they are clothing worn before the early 1900's. I suppose the most important thing we usually stress to our clients is that simply gluing gears onto a costume or prop does NOT make it Steampunk. Really, Steampunk all boils down to having fun with your creations. (no pun intended.)
To visit steamgearlab.com please click on the link below:
http://www.steamgearlab.com/
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