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Photos: Scenes From The Steampunk World's Fair 2012
By
Garth Johnston
Published May 21, 2012
Modified May 21, 2012
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By
Garth Johnston
Published May 21, 2012
Modified May 21, 2012
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Not everyone was waiting on line for food in Prospect Park this weekend! Hundreds of people, in fact, took one of the most beautiful weekends of the year as the perfect excuse to head to Piscataway, New Jersey, for the 2012 Steampunk World's Fair. From across the United States (and the world) folks of all ages, colors and persuasions piled into two hotels—and the space between them—to show off their gear, talk about everything steampunk, dance, drink and generally have a good time.
The three-day event had a little bit of everything: lectures (think "Steampunk? Teslapop? The Parameters of the Genre," "Gaslight and the Victorian Aesthetic," "Punk Distopias," and "Sex and Steampunk"), bands (on two indoor stages and one outdoor stage), shops (dozens of hotel rooms were converted into a spectacular steam punk bazaar) and more. Food? There were dinners! And, of course, there was much to drink. This was the kind of event where cherry mead was being poured beside Budweiser and Amstel Light.
As for who was there? It was a mix of newbies (us), oldtimers both literally and figuratively, families (including multiple couples we talked to who met at steampunk events before bringing babies into the world) and everything in between (let's just say there was definitely some serious steampunk sexy times in New Jersey this weekend). Still, one set of parents whose kids were at their first steampunk event explained that it was a great event for the kids because they got to imagine and then help make their own costumes. "It's awesome," one small kid told us before explaining that his button had a forcefield in it.
As for what exactly the subculture steampunk is, the answer seems to be a little bit of whatever you want it to be. So yeah the fanboys were out—Darth Vader was there and somebody turned their hotel room door into a TARDIS—but so were those just into Victorian culture. And people who just like to dress up (if you've been to a Renfair, you'd feel right at home). The only thing that everyone seemed to have in common was an interest in wearing fancy goggles.
For a whole lot more images from Saturday, check out Jim Kiernan's full photo set.
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new jersey
steampunk
steampunk world's fair
Garth Johnston
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