The Burgeoning Steampunk Subculture

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Steampunk is a burgeoning subculture that draws on the elaborate aesthetics and romantic worldview of 19th-century England to envision how things might have looked had a few key technologies been developed earlier. It conjures a gaslit cityscape filled with steam-powered robots, mechanical computers, ray-gun-toting aeronauts, and monocled mad scientists.

Steampunk has its roots in the 1980s as a type of speculative fiction, but in the past few years, the movement has been "steamrolling," as one adherent puts it, with the emergence of steampunk fashion, music, and design. Drawing inspiration from fantastical works by Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, steampunk enthusiasts embrace the do-it-yourself ethic and prize unique, intricate designs over disposable, bland creations.

In this photo essay, IEEE Spectrum features the work of some of the most prolific steampunk contraptors, including Sean Slattery (aka Jake Von Slatt), I-Wei Huang (known as Crab Fu), and Richard "Datamancer" Nagy. The article also discusses the origins of the movement and where things are heading. Will steampunk evolve into something lasting--or will it disappear like thin vapor?

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