Weekend at the Asylum

In Lincoln England is an old Victorian mental asylum from which the event Weekend at the Asylum got its name. Known as the biggest Steampunk event in Europe it has the Guinness World Record for a gathering of 452 people gathered in Steampunk costume with a head to toe outfit as well as headgear and at least one wearable gadget. Over the course of the weekend the Grand Ballroom hosts celebrity signings such as authors Robert Rankin and Wilf Lunn. Manufacturer’s demonstrations, dance classes and evening soirees are also held with the weekend highlight being a Saturday night ball where guests dress in splendid Steampunk regalia. There is a large market with Steampunkers selling their wears were people can promenade along the asylum cell walkways make for a vibrant community engagement.

Steampunkers at the Asylum. [Tinker 2012, p.196]

Harvy Santos - a Case Study

Harvy Santos fell into Steampunk through millinery. Santos had previously been a professional ballet dancer in Hong Kong. When his dancing career finished he moved to London with his partner. Whilst purchasing fabrics for a costume, he was introduced to The Hat Magazine. Having previously designed costumes and bizarre fancy dress items he became intrigued with millinery and enrolled in an intensive course with Rose Cory, legendary milliner to the late Queen Mother. Following several courses and further development he entered the “Hat Designer of the Year” competition through The Hat Magazine whose theme was “Steampunk” that year. As an amateur at the time, Santos made it to the semi-finals and when the collection was returned, having a lot of spare cogs, he decided to expand the collection. Santos has since shown his collection at The Asylum supported by the British Steampunk Society.

Traveling Crown by Harvy Santos. [Tinker 2012, p.57]

Week 9 Crit

At the crit in week 9 I received feedback on my first draft of the interactive PDF. My classmates said that the aesthetic of the PDF was very fitting for the subculture but that I should photoshop the fashion illustrations to remove the background. They also said my buttons and hyperlinks in the PDF worked well but that I should change the location of the website button and put a button at the bottom of the page to be able to go back to the table of contents.

Illustration with original tea stained background.