Upcycle Project – Steampunk Introduction

To get this project going, I started with brainstorming and had three main parts I took into consideration: 

1. What Aesthetic I wanted to have my project embody
2. What I wanted to make 
3. What resources I had at my disposal realized 

I have always loved the look of Steampunk. I loved the metallic, darkish colors, and the industrial/mechanical parts. This is a small part of the reason I decided to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering with my interest in how things work. To get the idea for what I wanted to make, I ended up deciding on making a lamp for several reasons. I talked to my friends who have done this class before, and they showed me lamps they made and that got me brainstorming. I also realized that my house does not have good lighting so we are in desperate need of lamps so I figured I could kill two birds with one stone. Now that I have decided what I wanted to make and the aesthetic I want to pursue, I needed to complete some research to make this project successful. 

For some history on Steampunk, it is a sub-genre of Science Fiction and the Victorian Era. It takes the mechanical and functional ideals of the Industrial Revolution and adds to some of the luxury and materialistic view of the Victorian Era, kind of acting as an alternate timeline of the Victorian Era. It focuses on mechanism, machinery, power produced by steam, etc. Although the Victorian Era took place in the 19th century and that’s when Steampunk takes place, it was developed roughly in the 1970s – 1980s in books. It is typically depicted in crazy inventions that have an older rustic look or also in some interesting and maybe not so practical clothing. It also bleeds into the ideas that not everything is perfect as it may seem so a lot of society modifieds themselves and lives in a “punk” lifestyle causing problems. 

There are several main features that embody Steampunk. 

In fashion, you have the nicer clothes such as waist jackets, top hats, bowler hats, corsets, trench coats. These are then mixed with mechanical/work features/gear. This includes gears, goggles, enhanced/replaced body parts. A lot of it is a bit over the top. 

Example of Women’s Steampunk Fashion [2] 

It is heavily based on machinery and inventions. There are a lot of things powered by steam for movement and power to produce electricity. This is for things like cars, trains, lamps, etc. 

Steampunk Blimp [3]

Steampunk Lamp [4]

Overall, the main features of steam punk are:

• Gears/cogs
• Piping
• Metallic/dark colors
  • dirtied Bronze, Gold, and Silver
• Victorian fusion
• Movement
• Industrial Materials
  • Bronze
  • Wood
• Steam
• Fire
• Leather
• etc.

Based on these I was able to find some resources that I think could apply. I have a bunch of tiny metallic looking gears, Parchment paper, Some wires, and some spare wood planks. I also just got the cassette gear replaced on my bike, so I am thinking of incorporating that into my design. 

 

References

Images:

[1] Alex. (n.d.). Alex. Steampunk Avenue. https://steampunkavenue.com/en/blog/what-is-steampunk/

[2] Fabric, M. (2024, August 23). Steampunk fashion. MAGIC FABRIC. https://magicfabricblog.com/steampunk-fashion/

[3] Futbolaexamen. (n.d.). Soar into Adventure: Steampunk airship. Idyllic. https://us.idyllic.app/gen/steampunk-airship-sunlit-sky-457544?highlighted=1655954

[4] Steampunk lamp/ industrial decor. (n.d.). https://www.etsy.com/listing/597999510/steampunk-lamp-industrial-decor

Information:

Alex. (n.d.). Alex. Steampunk Avenue. https://steampunkavenue.com/en/blog/what-is-steampunk/

What is steampunk?. Wonderopolis. (n.d.). https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-is-steampunk

Wikimedia Foundation. (2025, January 21). Steampunk. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk