Tag Archives: Friday May 20th

Battle Circus

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Battle Circus pummels the senses with stunningly dramatic ferocity. The four-piece’s reputation for explosive performances and bold, ambitious musical arrangements has led them to take the stage at numerous international festivals and open for Amanda Palmer, Gary Numan and more.

Having garnered critical acclaim for its post-apocalyptic-themed debut EP, The Half-Light Symphony, Battle Circus has completed its first full-length album. Due for release later this year, the new album is unashamedly grandiose in both scale and ambition, and explores the full breadth of the musical ability the band’s live performances deliver.

The Steampunk World’s Fair 2011 is excited to have Battle Circus joining us this year. Do yourself a favor, and WATCH THIS VIDEO!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOv5Q35Ef_M

Poison Apples & Pretty Witches

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Gather ’round for Lilith Lore‘s wickedly salacious retelling of classic stories from the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen and Charles Perrault. Be prepared to see your favorite fairy tale heroes and heroines in a whole new light once you’ve heard her take on wolves, witches and, of course, poison apples.

In addition to her original twisted tales, join Lilith for a brief discussion on the popularity and meaning of original fairy tales in Victorian England, as well as a recitation of Lilith’s all time favorite fairy tale, written by none other than Oscar Wilde.

 

The SPWF 2011 – Muse of Fair

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Will YOU be our Muse?


Since ancient times, laureates and artists have invoked heavenly beings to serve as their guiding inspiration — the creative force that drives their hand to create works of unrelenting beauty, wonder and awe. In the same sense, The Steampunk World’s Fair seeks its own Muse. With the opening ceremonies fast approaching, we are searching for someone who embodies these qualities, and the individual who receives the most votes will be crowned the Muse of The Steampunk World’s Fair 2011.

This contest is open to all talented and lovely individuals who exemplify the essence of Steampunk imagination – innovative, radiant and creative. We are seeking submissions over the next week. Please send us an image of something amazing that demonstrates why you are our Muse. Be unique! Our Muse would transcend any easy definition and leave us all marveling in their presence.

Voting will span from May 8th until May 17th. The voting process will occur on our site, and the winner will be invited to The Steampunk World’s Fair with other prizes, adoration, and inspiration in store- and to be announced at Opening Ceremonies on Friday May 20th at 1pm in Main Events!

If you wish to be nominated, please Contact Us with your name, link to your image, and any info you wish us to have on why you are our Muse!

“He who approaches the temple of the Muses without inspiration, in the belief that craftsmanship alone suffices, will remain a bungler and his presumptuous poetry will be obscured by the songs of the maniacs.” — Plato

When to Doff Your Hat: Art of Gentlemanliness

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“When to doff your hat… or Etiquette and Manners: civility, decorum and the art of gentlemanliness”

If you call yourself, Sir, or Lord, or Baron, or Captain, etc., one will expect that you are a gentleman, and as such will expect you to behave accordingly. One does not always have to follow the rules, of course, but one should at least be aware of what the rules are such that any infraction on the rules is a deliberate act, and not an affirmation of ignorance. Etiquette is far more than knowing which fork to use at a formal dinner, or knowing when to rise from your chair or when to hold open a door. This 60-minute presentation by Professor Mark P. Donnelly is designed for modern men who may never have had access to the rules strictures and mores which govern the behavior of gentlemen from the 19th century onwards.

Library of Lost Literature

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At The Steampunk World’s Fair 2011, we are hosting book-release celebrations for no fewer than five notable new steampunk-related titles that are publishing this spring! The Library of Lost Literature is open… won’t you step inside for a good book?

The Steampunk Bible
by Jeff VanderMeer and S.J. Chambers
VanderMeer, coeditor of the acclaimed fiction anthologiesSteampunk and Steampunk Reloaded, has spent the past couple years working with coauthor Chambers to assemble this definitive nonfiction book that takes the reader on an illustrated tour of the modern steampunk movement.
Ms. Chambers will be kicking off the Northeast book-release tour with a live event on Saturday May 21st! The Steampunk Bible Event will also feature such contributors as Dr. Grymm, Magpie Killjoy, Ay-Leen the Peacemeaker, Jaymee Goh, Jake von Slatt, and Stephen Segal!

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
by Ransom Riggs
A unique novel built around a haunting collection of vintage black-and-white photographs, it ties the mysterious 1908 Tunguska explosion in Siberia to the origin story of a group of young WWII orphans who might best be described as, “What if Edward Gorey had created the X-Men?”
Miss Peregrine’s Home hits stores June 7; publisher Quirk Books is offering attends of The Steampunk World’s Fair a special sneak peek, providing a gallery of framed artwork from the pages of the book and giveaway posters!

Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti
by Genevieve Valentine
The stunning debut novel from popular Tor.com blogger Valentine, Mechanique launches the ongoing saga of a brass-and-copper mechanical circus whose performers are engaged in a secret war with one another even as a real war blazes outside their tents. Cover art by fantasy/steampunk favorite Kiriko Moth.
Valentine, a New York author, will appear at SPWF to read from the book, and publisher Prime Books will provide prizes/giveaways.

The Meowmorphosis
by Franz Kafka and Coleridge Cook
In this hallucinatory pre-WWI fantasy — the latest mashup from Quirk Classics — Gregor Samsa wakes up to find that he has been transformed, not into a hideous insect, but into an adorable kitten. In an adventure that doubles the length of the original “Metamorphosis,” Gregor-kitty escapes his parents’ home to wander the foggy streets of 1910-era Prague, stumbling across characters from Kafka’s other nightmarish stories along the way.
Editor Stephen Segal will bring the freshly-published book to SPWF for its first live reading!


The Gospel According to Verdu
by Emilie P. Bush
After you find your savior, you may have to save yourself.
When Verdu sacrificed his freedom to help Chenda and the rest of her companions escape from Tugrulia, he hoped to join the Tugrulian resistance movement. But then he hit rock bottom. Captive, injured, and depressed, he saw no way to help the resistance, let alone himself, until he found he was closer to real power than he could have dreamed. The question becomes, how far is he willing to go to get it? And meanwhile, what will his friends do to get him back? The crew of the Brofman abandon the safe skies and find all kinds of trouble on their journey to reclaim what they lost.
The Gospel According to Verdu is the exciting follow up to Emilie P. Bush‘s Steampunk adventure Chenda and the Airship Brofman. Ms. Bush shall be launching her book with us at SPWF!

The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess
by Leanna Renee Hieber
The third volume of the bestselling neo-Victorian “Strangely Beautiful” gothic-fantasy series!
New York author Hieber attended last year’s SPWF in full period dress to read from the previous book, and was very well received; she’s returning this year to have a formal book release at SPWF 2011!

QST19C: Questionable Science Theater 1900

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In the not-too-distant future (Friday evening May 20th), join the Doctors Mobius.. Mobii.. Mobiles.. The Mad Scientists as they demonstrate their new moving picture machine. Listen as they discuss the finer points of the film itself, making it a real bother for the audience to pay attention to it. They promise to be entertained by the film, and in turn hope you are entertained by them being entertained by the film.

What movie, you may ask? All we can say is that it is Scrumptious!

And if you’re wondering how they eat and breathe, and other science facts, just repeat to yourself “They’re not in space, I should really just relax, for Questionable Science Theater 1900.”

Bartitsu Workshop

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Bartitsu

The Lost and Found Scientific Self Defense of Sherlock Holmes OR Self-Defense for Victorian and Steampunk Gentlemen (and not-so-gentlemen)

Presented by Bartitsu Master Professor Mark P. Donnelly, this 90-minute workshop is designed to be an extensive introduction to this esoteric system of self-defense which incorporates: fisticuffs (in the scientific method); savate (use of low kicks in self-defense); grappling (judo/jujitsu); as well as the use of numerous commonplace Victorian accessories such as walking-stick, cane, umbrella, top hat, snuff box, opera cape, handkerchief, etc. all employed in an effort to maintain “preservation of person and property when beset upon by ne’er-do-wells of nefarious intent”.

Participants will not need to wear anything different or special in order to take part. If you have a walking stick or cane which you would like to use, you are encouraged to bring it, though equipment for about 50 will be provided by the instructor.

This workshop is open to men and women aged 16 and up.

Cracked Monocle’s Tephra RPG

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Cracked Monocle’s Tephra is a steampunk company working to put its own spin on the genre. Best known for their Steampunk Tabletop RPG, Tephra, they have been hard at work expanding the steampunk and tabletop gaming community.

Coming to us from Texas, Cracked Monocle shall be hosting several 3-hour demo sessions of Tephra throughout the weekend at The Steampunk World’s Fair!

Steam, wild gizmos, hulking automatons controlled by advanced brainworks, bio-engineered abominations, chainsaw swords, locomotives and elegant airships – let me introduce you to steampunk, a time ruled by intelligent industry, vests, top hats, and corsets. A time where adventure was one dirigible’s ride away, and gentlemanly duty was society’s norm. Welcome to Tephra, a steam-powered world, where fantasy meets science fiction, all pounded together into a pre-industrial technological boom.

Tephra is an evolutionary tabletop roleplaying experience, built by gamers who enjoy an easy-to-learn system with unlimited options. You’ll feel at home in our easy to use system, with just one die (a twelve-sider), over 400 different character abilities, and a seemingly infinite amount of character combinations. Gone are the specific classes of many systems – in are a massive numbers of skills for you to specialize in. To top it all off, everything’s available from level 1, and it only gets better.

From our easy character creation system to our intuitive and high-movement combat rules, to our enormous array of character abilities, Tephra will leave you building, creating, and dreaming until your friends start wondering about that new handlebar mustache you’re sporting. This is steampunk – the options are unlimited. Welcome to Tephra.

Knights of Steampunk Ceremony

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On May 20th, 2011, at The Steampunk World’s Fair, our Queen Victoria shall be knighting FIVE steampunks for their active participation in the community, their skills and craftsmanship, and their dedication to bringing more steampunk awesomeness to us over the years.

 

 

 

 

Nominees were elected and voted on from April 11-April 15th on Facebook. Anyone who voted was able to nominate! In the end, we had over 30 nominees and 2200+ votes!

The Final Round of Voting shall take place on the SPWF website where the top 10 shall be voted on for the Top 5! Voting shall be open from April 18th at midnight until May 1st 11:59pm.

***YOU ONLY HAVE ONE VOTE in the Final Round!***

Please, choose wisely, and vote your heart. Vote for the person you feel has given the most to the Community as a whole, who you respect and look up to, and who you would be proud to have as a Steampunk Knight at The Steampunk World’s Fair!

YOUR TOP TEN NOMINEES ARE (in alphabetical order):

 
Capt. Cedric Whittaker, Airship Isabella
The Davenport Sisters
Dr. Grymm Laboratories
Eli August
Emperor of the Red Fork Empire
Handsome Chuck
Jake von Slatt
Professor Elemental
Spawn, Knightly Security Guard
Steampunk Boba Fett
 

Please note: nominees are subject to change, if a nominee wishes to bow out of the race or WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND the Knighting Ceremony. In such a case, the Nominee who placed next on the original Nominee chart shall be added in in their place.

For those of you on the Book of Faces, you may find us here!

The Big Brass Ball, part 1

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Friday evening Formal Ball

Come along to The Big Brass Ball-
our formal evening dance- from 7-10pm!

Join us for a time-traveling formal evening at the Big Brass Ball! At The Big Brass Ball, there is no such thing as “too formal”, though dress code allows all styles of formal dress from afternoon tea wear to full military regalia!

Enjoy Victorian and Victorian-inspired set dances and spin madly with your partner to romantic waltzes and lively polkas. No previous
experience is needed; all dances will be taught by dance historian Susan de Guardiola. Music will be an eclectic mix of modern and nineteenth century. Formal costume encouraged!

As always, at The Steampunk World’s Fair, we do not charge an extra admission price to our dances. The Ball is free with your membership badge!

More information coming soon! Times subject to change.
Image courtesy of Tom Brown

Platform one

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Platform one brings to the stage a powerful aesthetic that crosses genre boundaries. Led by V. Nigel Taylor whose voice is as haunting as he is madly entertaining; he’s backed by keyboardist Daniel Gill, guitarist Jesse Dunstan, percussionist Allison Lahikainen, and joined by Tim Heireth. Platform one melds darker melodies and danceable beats that keep the dance floor filled. They have been transporting themselves around the country since the 1999, currently anchored in New York. As timeless as the music they make, Pl-1s members have long been involved with the arts – screenplay writing, soundtrack work, visual and aural construction. They have recently released their latest EP “The Silent Have Names.” A full length follow up is currently in the works.

Platform one’s appearances at The Steampunk World’s Fair 2011 have been sponsored by MayFaire Moon Costumes and Corsetry! Visit MayFaire in the Merchant’s Bazaar!

Tea Party with Professor Elemental

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The Welcome Tea Party with Professor Elemental
Friday 4-6pm. Other musical guest to be announced!

You’ve arrived at the fair. Your friends have all greeted you and admired your latest creation. But now it’s 4 o’clock on Friday and the festivities are just getting started. You know what that means: it’s tea time, of course! Join your Host, the delightful Professor Elemental, for a lovely Afternoon Tea complete with petite pastries and a host of fine teas to choose from, light music, and some of the best company around the fair.

Tickets are $20 each (plus applicable service charges, taxes and fees.)

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*As of 4/15/11, the Tea Party wit Professor Elemental is SOLD OUT! We hope you might enjoy some of our other Catered Event offerings. Thank you!*

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eELH0ivexKA

Tinker presents: The Wolf Hunter’s Ball

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The Wolf Hunter’s Ball

FROM THE CREATOR:
Tinker is the story of Samuel James Thatch, a small time tinker and mechanical genius working out of the Five Points of Manhattan in the late 1800s. Inside you will hear of Hodgepodge Von Clockverk, the mechanical man, the crew of the airship Adolphus, and the mysterious menace known only as The Society.

Tinker owes much of its origin in The Steampunk World’s Fair. The crew of the Adolphus are characters patterned from the personas my friends and I adapted for the 2010 Fair. Thus, I wanted to celebrate the growing success of my creative project with a contest. Ladies and gentlemen, punks of all shapes and sizes — I present to you — The Wolf Hunter’s Ball.

THE GAME:
The Wolf Hunter’s Ball is a scavenger hunt. Adolphus means ‘great wolf’, so in short, you’ll be hunting for the Adolphus crew at the 2011 World’s Fair. SJ, The Baronness, Drusilla Gunn and more will be in attendance. As the Fair draws closer you will be able to get your hands on a Wolf Hunter Dance Card. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find the various officially sanctioned members of the Adolphus crew (and their associates), and have them sign off on your dance card. Prizes will be given (as supplies last) to those who bring a completed dance card to the author, Mike Perna, aka Captain Johannes Bosch. There will also be one, and only one, bonus prize given to the first fortunate soul to get a picture of themselves with the ENTIRETY of the Adolphus crew at once.

Be watching for details as we get closer to The Steampunk World’s Fair 2011. We hope to see you all there.

To contact Mike Perna about this exciting, interactive, event-wide game, message vonclockverk@gmail.com!

Speakeasy-in-the-sky: The Engine Room

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Psst… Hey kid! You heard of “The Engine Room”, the speakeasy in the sky? We’re calling all smugglers, political malcontents, and free spirits to meet up for some Prohibition Era celebrations! Remember: no password, no entry! But if you get your ticket now, they’ll be kind enough to issue the password and secret location-in-the-heights along with your invitation. Snacks and bar service are included at this 21+ event. Dress code of Depression era glitz and glamor, high-class tramp, or black-tie evening on the Hindenburg highly encouraged!

The Engine Room will be in operation Friday night from 12pm to 2am.
Featuring DJ’d music with Dieselpunks.org, and possible live sets from a pair of tawdry fellows…
Tickets are $25 each

*As of 4/20/11, The Engine Room is SOLD OUT! We hope you might enjoy some of our other Catered Event offerings. Thank you!*