The Steampunkfestival on TV

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Yesterday we were in the news: SVT, a big Swedish broadcasting company, has made a television piece about the Steampunkfestival and its locoproject, which was shown in the local news. We are very glad that Swecon 2014 is greeted with such great interest.

During one of the interviews, one of our colleagues expressed his hopes for a sequel of the festival, which has been interpreted as it being a recurring event. We would like to clarify that there are no plans on the current organizers’ side to repeat it next year. If you want to be part of it, it’s best if you go for 2014 – and become a member as soon as possible.

Steampunk at the Uppsala English Bookshop March 13

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We are contributing to a steampunk night at the English Bookshop in Uppsala on March 13. Don’t miss this, if you are in the region. Please feel free also to take the opportunity to talk to us about the Steampunkfestival — we are happy to answer questions and we’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions.

Steampunk_night_UEB

More information about the steampunkball

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Ball at the Göteborgs börshus November 4, 1862. Image from the collections of the Swedish Railway Museum (click on the picture for information in Swedish).

Ball at the Göteborgs börshus November 4, 1862. Image from the collections of the Swedish Railway Museum (click on the picture for information in Swedish).

We have added some information about how to buy tickes for the steampunkball, and furthermore updated the whole ball-page. Maybe you feel like taking a look here?

New participants on our market

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A warm welcome to our two newest participants on our market, Jonas Andersson (pins, buttons, children’s books) and Ulf Svensson (sculptures). We would like to seize the opportunity to remind you that there are still some single tables left. They are 80x120cm and cost SEK120,- for the whole weekend until 5pm. If you furthermore want your market stand to be open after that on Saturday, you need to buy a membership in addition.

A look at the Swedish steampunk scene

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A local steampunk gathering at the Railway museum where the Steampunkfestival will take place. Photo: Erik Larsson.

A local steampunk gathering at the Railway museum where the Steampunkfestival will take place. Photo: Erik Larsson.

During the month of February the global steampunk community is celebrated in the initiative Steampunk Hands Around the World. One of our friends, Charlie Dormer, wrote a text as our contribution. Here you can find the rest: Steampunk hands around the world — Official link list.

In September 2013 I boarded a plane to Sweden; a pith helmet on my head and all my worldly goods in tow. Slightly terrified, knowing no one except my boyfriend, and totally unsure of what to expect, I understandably felt more than a little homesick. In fact, at one point maybe two weeks in, I seriously considered going home again. ’What has all this got to do with steampunk?’ you may well ask. The answer is, actually, everything.

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Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum – I leave no traces behind

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Here is the newest LARP-text! More about the LARP at the festival can be found here.

p1140038Moina Mathers almost choked on her café au lait when she saw the front page of Le Monde trumpet the sensational news – the Swede August Strindberg had invented an ether-radiumpan which was said to revolutionize both train and shipping traffic and thereby establish Sweden as the new Great Power in Europe. She browsed the newspaper feverishly until she found the article the heading  referred to. It said that he had developed a prototype which was to be unveiled in a town called Gävle in the presence of their majesties. Moina gasped for breath… How dared he? This crooked swine! The jerk! So her theatre friend’s claims had been right, Strindberg had stolen from them!

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The chosen ones

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Today we take a big step towards our festival: Here’s a first glimpse of those who are confirmed participants on our market. There are still some tables left for last-minute-applications. Just send an e-mail to marknad[at] steampunkfestival.se . You can read more about the market and its conditions here.

Zuckerstangen

Sarah Burchill, Glasvinge – Fascinators, silver- and glass jewellery.

Julia Elstring Högberg, Mytomsydd – Hats, clothes, corsets.

The English Bookshop - Books.

Historiska Kompaniet – Clothes and accessories.

Elin Holmerin, Undrentide – Books and jewellery.

Anna Holt, Ashenbolt – Clothes, 19th-century-style.

Mats Keynet, Lemon Art – Gas masks, goggles, jewellery.

Maria Kindgren, The Universe of Majjsan – Jewellery.

Kenneth Molander Åsblom – Old-fashioned shavings and whetting of knives and razors.

Andrea Ottosson, Imperial Fiddlesticks Emporium – Fascinators.

Johanna Smedbakken – Jewellery made of clock pieces, matchboxes, candles.

Ylva Styffe – Secondhand clothes and  interior decoration items.

Anna Vintersvärd, Andra Världar – Books.

Hanna Ågren och Anders Löfberg, Grand Decay – Oddities.

Kristina Östlund, Scaramouche – Clothes and accessories.

Steampunkfestival June 27th – June 29th

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The Steampunkfestival takes place from June 27th till 29th at the Swedish Railway Museum in Gävle.

The Steampunkfestival is also this year’s Swecon, the national Swedish science fiction and fantasy convention.

Friday: Doors open 15:30. Festival starts 17.00. Closing at midnight.
Saturday: Doors open 9:30. Festival starts 10.00. Closing at midnight.
Sunday: Doors open 9:30. Festival starts 10.00. Closing 17.00.

In English   Information på svenska.

The Difference Engine: A Generation Later

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Our guest of honour Cory Doctorow has written an introduction to Gibson & Sterling’s The Difference Engine (1990), and was so kind as to allow us to reprint it. Thank you, Cory!

The Difference Engine: A Generation Later

DifferenceEngine20thAnnThe greatest irony of The Difference Engine is that it’s easily the most prescient novel from either Bruce Sterling or William Gibson, both authors with a reputation for successful futuristic prediction. Of course, both writers disavow any capacity for prognostication — Gibson happily and famously admits to practicing “presentism,” not futurism; that is, using the literary device of the future to tell stories about the present.

It’s true that Gibson and Sterling have inspired plenty of futuristic effort; Sterling’s environmental/design manifestos influenced a generation of tinkerers and designers; Gibson’s matrix fired the imaginations of plenty of 3D virtual world creators, Web developers and other network-makers. But inspiration isn’t the same as prediction: when Nokia engineers paid homage to the Star Trek communicator with their flip-phone designs, it wasn’t because Gene Roddenberry foresaw a true vision for the future of mobile communications. It was because telcoms geeks watched Star Trek.
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