On the weekend of the 9 – 11 Sept 2011 a formidable force descended once again on the city of Lincoln. Gadgets and goggles galore were in abundance, as were parasols, corsets and top hats; as the 3rd Annual Steampunk event Weekend at the Asylum kicked off.At this point I can feel that some of you are scratching your head and wondering what an earth I am talking about when I mention Steampunk – not all just possibly some. Steampunk is a subculture that incorporates the ideals of science fiction with Victorian (and sometimes Western Frontier) romanticism through the creative mediums of fashion, music, literature and art/gadget making. I guarantee within at least the last couple of years most of you will have come into contact with this subculture without even realizing it. How many people have seen the movie Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jnr or watched last year’s Christmas special of Dr Who with its Victorian influence and alternative historical setting? What about Joss Whedon short lived but fantastic series Firefly?
This subculture has been around for a while (arguably since the 70's) with various writers, film makers, fashion designers, artists and musicians contributing too and constantly shaping its character. It's place was once on the outer reaches of society but more and more it’s influences are being seen in mainstream culture. The series Castle did a tongue in cheek episode during Series 3 called Punk’d.Weekend at the Asylum is an event that was set up three years ago to bring together Steampunks from all over the UK and further a field. Within this time period its popularity has exploded and this year record numbers attended (over 1000) with people travelling from as far as South Africa and The USA to attend. Set in the gorgeous grounds of Lincoln Castle (specifically the Prison, which made for an incredibly eerie setting when purchasing your Victoriana goods and gadgets from the market) and The Lawns (a conference centre) there were plenty of programme activities to attend over the three days which included everything from learning to waltz to tea dueling to rocking out to the awesome sound of The Men who will not be Blamed for Nothing. There were some fabulous outfits and original handmade gadgets displayed and some great guest speakers including the World’s greatest storyteller of far-fetched fiction Robert Rankin.
Giles and I were first time attendees at The Asylum, as both of us love Steampunk but have never been able to get to the event before this year. It was strange at first, as usually we would be working at events such as this. It was nice to get a chance to relax, dress up and ‘talk the toot’ with like-minded people.
Check out GilesG’s Asylum 2011 Steampunk gallery on flickr!
