An Interview with Ay-leen the Peacemaker

In my previous post you may see how, without even knowing what I was getting into, I found myself interviewing a well-known Steampunk: Ay-leen the Peacemaker, founding editor of Beyond Victoriana (an excellent multicultural steampunk blog and community center). 

Ay-leen, thanks very much for not only answering my questions but also allowing me to publish our interview here! 

First, how would you define Steampunk?

Steampunk is hard to define as a social movement, but that’s because the steampunk movement I think is very post-modernist, meaning that it's characterized in itself as not adhering to a single set of rules and people in the movement are very much open to contributing their known perspectives to the mix, rather than following set standards.

I define steampunk on two levels: what it is and what people do with it. The straightforward definition of steampunk (to me) would be nineteenth-century-inspired science fiction and fantasy (or as proposed by Mike Perschon “Victorian retrofuturistic technofantasy”). It's an aesthetic, it's a style, and it's a subgenre of fiction.

What steampunk is becoming, however, is very different. Some call it a post-modernist movement, some call it a DIY/Maker reaction to today's consumerist, throw-away culture, some people call it putting the romance back into technology. I agree that steampunk is all of that, and so much more.

To me, steampunk is a sociopolitical method of subverting the roots of modernity. We're not people who chose to idolize a problematic era: any steampunk won't hesitate in telling you that we know that Victorian Era was a turbulent time, an Age of Anxiety. While it was a time of technological advancement, innovative discoveries, and social change, it was also a time of sexual oppression, racial discrimination, slavery, imperialism, and a rigid class system. Steampunk acknowledges the problems of that past and how that past has affected our lives today. So in order to take down today's problems, we must go back to the source.  Steampunk is discovering the Roads Not Taken of History and seeing where they lead.  It is an approach to life that seeks to change the present problems by looking back and reshaping the past with present sensibilities. And we do it in style.

If there was a Steampunk city, what would it be like?

A fictional city? Or a real one? Or a historical one? 

Fictional cities you can select anything from Philip Pullman's version of London in His Dark Materials (or even darker with the London presented in The Difference Engine) to China Meiville's city of New Crobuzon to Miyazaki's vision of Howl's Moving Castle.

Real ones vary just as much. You can look to the community of Burning Man and say that what they create is their own steampunk/ artistic city every year out in the desert. You can look at Bruce & Melanie Rosenbaum's ModVic home and ask whether a city where everything had that aesthetic would be steampunk. I think that steampunk cities do exist in our world today, and they are not in America. Steampunk in a functional sense-- that is, using "outdated" tactile technology and materials as a means of everyday life, or the use of "unexpected" technology in a mundane setting--you see all over in India, China, Eastern Europe, Africa... I'm reading this fascinating book for instance called Factory Girls that is about the lives of Chinese factory workers -- mostly young women -- who have left the village for a better life and end up in this stark and survivalist culture at these mega-factory cities; that is the type of life that thousands of working class men, women, and children also lead 150 years ago during the Industrial Revolution in the West. Now if those girls in China aren't living steampunk lives, then I don't know who is these days. It's certainly more than just tinkering in your garage.

What’s the best part(s) of Steampunk?

The potential for subversion and change. Playing around with history. Finding time to look at your own histories and appreciating that we don't come out of nowhere from nothing, but that everything is endowed with a past and meaning, and that events that happened generations ago still have an impact on our lives today.

Not to mention the community! Steampunks are some of the most creative and imaginative group of people I've ever met in fandom. They are also always curious and always willing to learn, which is the best part about going to a steampunk event--you will also meet people who are interesting and want to share that interest with you.

What objects or ideas define Steampunk?

Oh, a lot of ideas impact steampunk, but I think the biggest ones are--

1) DIY. Everyone has the optimistic potential of learning something new or figuring things out for yourself. From making your own clothes & props, to learning a new skill or a new history you didn't know before. People really try to foster each other's ability to be more creative & more knowledgeable.

2) The punk. Because steampunk without the punk-- the subversion, the questioning, the motivation for change, and yes, even anger sometimes-- than steampunk would be no different than reenactment or cosplay.

3) Individuality. People are really encouraged to find their own style & methods in steampunk. The biggest debate that goes on is when people argue with each other about "what is/is not steampunk" which I think can get a little ridiculous at times. It's come to the point that steampunk has become "you know it when you see it." 

4) Progressive thinking. This is what people mistake for "Utopian" or "optimistic" side of steampunk. Steampunk isn't a Utopian space -- especially because it deals with a problematic past. Steampunk isn't optimistic either -- at least not in the blind sense that critics have called out on. People truly engaged in the steampunk community realize that the historical roots of the subculture is rife with many social, economic and political ills. However, what makes an attitude "steampunk" is an active recognition of these ills and working how to correct them. This is more than just revisionist role-play, but acting in your life right now, how you wish the nineteenth century was back then: with manners and attention to quality-made items, and a modern sensibility and acknowledgement concerning a negligent and painful past. It is taking what was positive about the era: the curiosity, the innovation, the seeds of social change-- and perpetuating those progressive ethics along with the aesthetic.

How would you say the different features of steampunk could (or should) relate back to a shared community or urban space?

Steampunk, for those who see it as a lifestyle, is very much into urban renewal, living green, upcycling, and conscientious urban design. I suggest you check out ModVic, The Steampunk Workshop & The Grayshade Estate's manifesto.

How much of Steampunk is from history, and how much is from other sources?

Steampunk has its roots in history, but also its roots in science fiction & fantasy. If you don't have the fantastical, then you're just a re-enactor. If you don't have the history, then you're just into the subgenre purely for the fluff and probably won't stick around once the Next Big Thing hits. 

Steampunk also has a host of other subcultural influences: cyberpunk, burner, punk, anime/cosplay, neo-Victorian, post-apoc to name a few.  A good set of various definitions about its cultural influences can be found on The Airship Ambassador:

Last but not least, how would you advise for someone interested in Steampunk to "dip their toe in the water," so to speak, to try starting their own steampunk experience? 

First, I highly encourage any of the 'steam-curious' to join in! There are plenty of spaces online to wade your toes in, but I'd recommend The Airship Ambassador as your all-in-one resource for sites, communities, and conventions in your area. I'd also rec The Steampunk Empire as the "Facebook of steampunk" to connect to others across the country & around the world online.

As for getting your gear on, don't fret about spending tons of money on steampunk clothes. I actually make most of my items out of secondhand finds & thrift (not to mention that with my own particular style, I wear family heirlooms). To create an outfit doesn't mean you have to spend a lot of money, and in fact, there are several resources, like Instructables and Threadbanger that teaches you how to make your own steampunk items DIY-style. I strongly believe that people have a lot of freedom to customize their steampunk wear, and it shouldn't be solely a style to be appreciated by the wealthy. And the best outfits and props I've seen have been things made by people out of junkyard bits and modded clothing.

I really think that the steampunk community's image as "being a high-income community" is a myth that is perpetuated by the media's coverage of the flashiest steampunks in the news, but in reality, a lot of steampunks create their elaborate outfits by constantly upgrading something they already own. Like how punk pants had been created out of constant wear, tear & repair with patches, pins, marker drawings, etc, steampunk outfits suddenly grow more intricate by adding little things here or there over time, I think (and it doesn't have to be expansive changes either-- an added bit of lace here, a different button there).

So please, stop on by our community! We’ll be more than happy to have more people join in.