The Art of Steampunk

Kyle Miller’s wooden wings capture the technological bent and whimsy of steampunk. Photo courtesy of Kyle Miller.

Modern technology with a Victorian mind-set

Geahk Burchill was interested in steampunk before he knew the word for it.

“If you just go back to those things created by H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, some type of technology that we know today existing in a Victorian/Edwardian setting,” says the Oregon-based artist. “My first experience was with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the Disney movie, so I guess I got into the concept at a young age.” His experience is not uncommon. 

The idea of steampunk, which melds modern technology with the aesthetic of the Victorian era, has been around for decades but has only recently received a name. The word was coined during the late 1980s by author K. W. Jeter, referencing the then-popular cyberpunk futuristic movement. “Steam” refers to both steam technology itself and the era when it was prevalent. 

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