Extreme Urban Retro: 10 Creative Steampunk Designs, Modifications and Inventions

Steampunk iPod

Steampunk is a kind of speculative fiction that usually takes place in urban settings where the future meets the past: Victorian era inventions clash with often dark alternate realities. However, what started as a literary genre has since evolved into an art form with incredible real-life inventions, modifications and redesigns. The following is an introduction to the art of Steampunk, with everything from altered guitars to a Steampunked iPod.

Villianizer Steampunk Guitar

Steampunk Stratocaster

Steampunk Vespa

In Steampunk literature, the living computers and flying cars of science fiction are typically replaced by hulking steam-powered machines and floating dirigibles. Moreover, the art of design in these future-past visions reflects the ultimate integration of form and function epitomized during the periods being referenced: where even gears and buttons on an archaic machine were beautifully crafted. Shown above are three amazing modifications of contemporary technologies to fit the aesthetic of the Steampunk era: the Villianizer, a re-engineered Stratocaster and a Vespa.

Steampunk Computer Monitor Art

Steampunk Laptop

Like Goth, steampunk draws on elements of Victorian dress. Like Cyberpunk, there is an emphasis on the technology and culture of the material world as shown through and alternate present or future. Beyond those, however, there is a kind of celebration of the more elemental and tangible science and technology of periods prior to our present computer age. However, some of the most amazing Steampunk redesigns combine these two eras and involve modifications of computer monitors or even entire laptop computers.

Steampunk Treehouse at Burning Man

One of the most amazing feats of Steampunk art and engineering is the Steampunk Tree House, constructed for the Burning Man Arts Festival. This fully-functional interactive art pieces was one of the highlights of this year’s Burning Man Festival, lit up spectacularly at night and able to withstand strong daytime winds as shown in the above photographs.

Star Wars Steampunk Death Star

Steampunk Light Saber

Steampunk R2D2

Steampunk ideas have also increasingly been retroactively applied to existing cult classics. Perhaps the most notable of these is Star Wars. Shown above is one of a series of Star Wars themed Steampunk renderings depicting, in this case, the Death Star reimagined for the Star Wars universe. Other artists have created tangible works such as a Star Wars Steampunk light saber made from old radio parts and evening a functioning R2D2 Steampunk robot. Some clever individuals even scripted and filmed a hilarious Star Trek parody set to a Steampunk theme and complete with archaic cinematography and a fitting musical score:

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Posted by Urbanist November 11th, 2007
Urban Art, Urban Images, Urban Videos, Various
Comments: 21

Comments

Comment from David Dolphin
Time: November 11, 2007, 5:08 pm

Nice post. Steampunk is an area/subculture I never really explored, but thanks to the net it has become easier to dip into subcultures like this.

Comment from Brendan Crain
Time: November 11, 2007, 10:10 pm

Steampunk always reminds me of this video game I used to play all the time when I was a kid…it was called Chrono Trigger, and it was all about time travel and saving the world and all of the kooky fantastical things that good video games used to be about. Anyway, they are good memories; thanks for triggering them. ;-)

Comment from Brendan Crain
Time: November 11, 2007, 10:10 pm

Oh man, totally didn’t intend for that to be a pun. Sooo sorry.

Comment from Wendy Withers
Time: November 11, 2007, 10:28 pm

Now I need to figure out how to get my hands on a steampunk computer.

Comment from deputydog
Time: November 12, 2007, 9:49 am

great post mate.

it’s all new to me.

Comment from Chris
Time: November 12, 2007, 10:31 am

I really like the steampunk laptop. Imagine you go to a business meeting with this… And you say to them that that was you grand-grand-father’s laptop :D

Comment from formfollowsfunction
Time: November 12, 2007, 12:59 pm

Form follows function. My problem with most of these devices, including the guitars etc, is that the steampunkism is primarily decorative. It is in no way functional and as such is pure window dressing. Interesting window dressing, but let us see some hackery.

Comment from Scion
Time: November 12, 2007, 1:28 pm

It would have been better if you put a electric motor in R2D2

Comment from Justin
Time: November 12, 2007, 1:54 pm

That computer is awesome!

Comment from Dave Nofmeister
Time: November 12, 2007, 2:40 pm

I’m surprised they don’t already have a steampunk computer box on the market.

Maybe one of the modders out there will get some ideas. hmmm…..

Comment from Slacker
Time: November 13, 2007, 4:22 am

I really liked the guitars.

Comment from richie rich
Time: November 18, 2007, 4:19 pm

steampunk is “retro-inovative” ,inspiring.although there may be much to steampunkuate from the victorian period,why limit oneself to a single time frame? we do possess the flux capacitor do we not? ANY frame is applicable no? set the time circuts clear the runway and watch that reentry .it gets a little bumpy!

Comment from asdf
Time: January 4, 2008, 5:22 am

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Comment from celentanno
Time: January 4, 2008, 5:29 am

Hi? i thin it easy