Steampunk Gadgets

 

 

Superficially, steampunk gadgets may resemble retrofuturism. Indeed, both sensibilities recall "the older but still modern eras in which technological change seemed to anticipate a better world, one remembered as relatively innocent of industrial decline." But, where retrofuturism is primarily backward looking and relies on stylistic pastiche, steampunk embraces a broader lifestyle and creative vision.

 

One of steampunk’s most significant contributions is the way in which it mixes the digital with the handmade. As scholars Rachel Bowser and Brian Croxall put it, "the tinkering and tinker-able technologies within steampunk invite us to roll up our sleeves and get to work re-shaping our contemporary world." In this respect, steampunk bears more in common with DIY craft and making. Travis Bickle's "slide sleeve gun" in Taxi Driver is an example of steampunk know-how.