Was wondering if any one has played with this Idea. I was playing with the Idea and lets be real I just like playing dress up.

And I saw Iain's post and will be surfing it soon.

Yup, I use it and didn't even know what it was called.

I will actually be performing in Tarrytown, NY in October for their Sleepy Hollow event and transforming my normally Renaissance Based Character into a 19th century Steampunk character. I'm really looking forward this opportunity as I'm a big fan of all things in this genre.

Greetings to my esteemed colleagues.

For the past few months I've been working on a show with a 19th century flair. This combines my magic hobby with a long-time interest in the Victorian era.

Right now my fledgeling show is centered around classic parlour magic (billiard balls, C&B, rings, etc.), but I wonder if adding some Bizarre effects drawn from the "golden age" of spiritualism would fit. I can also see myself tricking out a square circle, crystal cylinder and other such props into more steampunky styles. Right now I'm looking at a brass door kickplate...my plan is to cut out some fifty-cent piece size cogs and use them in coin routines. I think rolldowns would look very nice, for example.

With all the steampunk and Victorian-themed movies coming out in the next year, one wonders if we'll be seeing more 19th century magic soon.

Yr. Servant
Rob

There was a definite upsurge with Victorian style magic after the release of "The Illusionist" and "The Prestige", not to mention a handful of Victorian, goth-style vampire and other dark-themed films a few years before. There have been attempts at everything from Civil War Era, through the sophistication of Robert-Houdin, all the way to the Bram Stoker-inspired characters in magic.

However, few magicians seem to have taken the plunge and really developed their characters beyond these more conservative, or at least mainstream 19th Century styles. Steampunk is much more flamboyant and inventive. It combines the emerging, but obviously limited industrialization of the period with the futuristic fantasy of a Jules Verne novel. Cumbersome gilt is more the norm here, as anything streamlined in gadgetry didn't come into fashion until the art deco era.

I have a friend here who is also a magic builder, and he came to me several months ago with the suggestion that we develop a line of steampunk apparatus. It's still in the works, but alas, there are so many irons in the fire...

I would be very interested in any resources for steampunk items / props. I am developing a show that would incorporate a bit more steampunk flare.

Thanks,

For some nifty ideas on building things with a steampunky vibe, check out the Tactile forum at Brass Goggles. The things done with plain ol' junk there simply astounds me.

Here you go for a start

http://thesteampunkhome.blogspot.com

http://steampunkworkshop.com/links.shtml

Great! A topic title and subject close to my heart.

Its is interesting to see the emergence of steampunk into popular consciousness
in the past couple of years, as well as the shift of devotees of other subcultures into steampunk as the "new" thing. It is both scary and satisfying. The thing that does scare me is that many will glom on to the "look"...but not the context.

That would be a shame since the genre is brimming with all sorts of plots that can blur the subjects of science, magic and the bizarre all together and wrap it all up in its own cool aesthetic.

I have been a fan of steampunk styled science-fiction stories since I was a child (the actual term “steampunk” was coined in the late 80’s) and I have been involved in steampunk’s emergence as a subculture during the past 8 years or so. I have been performing magic professionally in Victorian garb with a bizarre twist for many years now.

Welcome aboard everyone! Any style that moves magic away from the hoodies and t-shirts of “street magic” is a good thing!”

Welcome to the Café, Steampunk Magician. Looking forward to your input!

I have liked "steam punk" before it was punk!
Welcome to the Café Steampunk Magician! Where in N.Y.? I'm from NYC and my sister is in Brooklyn.

I agree whilst the fashion and mechanical gadgets appeal for their own sake I love the concept of an alternate history and technology.

I would love to hear more about your take on steampunk magic,

Thanks for the warm welcome..it was positively STEAMY!

I live in Queens but I run the magic shop in New York Costumes (Halloween Adventure) in Manhattan.

Like magic, steampunk has given birth to quite a vibrant subculture. Careful or you may get sucked in. I am not only a magician, I am also a steampunk and I will be happy to share my thoughts on both anytime.

The ultimate steampunk prop: the time machine.

Thanks Curator! That is quite an amazing device. The possibilties are endless!

Wow! This is a great machine and it can be any machine the mind can imagine.

I have performed at a couple of steampunk venues since 2008. It is quite the art movement. But like all art movements it is being overtaken by the money movers as per the earlier link to the steampunk home. Yeah, like we all have marble covered 25 foot bars in our interiors.Of course my character, Dr. Solar, is exactly from this period, after all....solar electricity was discovered in the mid 1860's. I went off-grid in 1980 myself. Soon more photos of my solar electrified vardo will be on my web site. It is a grand movement filled with wonderful folk seeking deeper roots to human power and labor with the extreme bent of scientific conglomerations. I hope to hear more from you, Steampunk Magician.

Have fun...
Doc
Doc

Steam Punk is a fantastic concept.
I've played with the idea of building a few illusionettes as "spookyoptikon" machines (my term, based on a joke my wife and I made in response to the idea of Edison's spirit contact device).
Excellent sources for inspiration are the GURPS rpg books for Steamtech and Steam Punk.
Also, Alan Moore's "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" graphic novels.

I've been toying with putting a Steampunk act together for several years. Particularly after I became a steampunk character in a Nebula award winning web comic http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20041220

Especially now that I've completed the outfit http://www.flickr.com/photos/41334249@N00/2563025110/