My pleasure to announce I now have pieces in two galleries on the Gloucester road in Bristol.
One at the Gallimaufry bar (more to follow soon!) and one at “The Deep End” at what used to be the north Bristol Swimming Baths, Victorian swimming baths now being used as an art gallery. Both are amazing places, well worth a look.
You may have noticed my absence from the site for awhile. This has been due to the sheer amount that needed doing in part but also due to the very exciting news I am to unveil today.
On the 18th of May this year I will be releasing the first in a new series of books featuring writing by me and wonderful illustrations by the very talented Arfon Jones. A set of guides for steampunks, anachronists, adventurers et al.
The Brajj’s Guides series will begin with Brajj’s Guides Present The Life of the Air Kraken
The book will begin with man’s historic struggle against this fearsome beast before working its way to the present and the science, physiology and social effect of the Krake Volanti.
The book is 31 pages long, A5 in size and features 11 full page illustrations.
The book will sell for £3 in paperback and £1.50 in electronic and aetherweb forms.
However, if you pre-order the paperback before the end of April, the price will be just £2.50
As a further note we will also be running two competitions.
Anyone pre-ordering the book will be sent on a quest to discover a dark secret about the Air Kraken. On the 18th of April one randomly selected person who found the secret will receive their copy of the book free signed by Arfon and myself, along with a goody bag of assorted artifacts.
The second competition will be open to all who buy the book. The will then be asked to complete the sentence “I think the next Brajj’s guide should be ______ because_____.” Whoever wins this competition will win a very special prize, the chance to be immortalised, in text and illustration, as a character in the next guide.
Without further ado please see below for a sample of some pages from the new book.
I have started a new and exciting project.
As many of you no doubt know I love to write. In my new project I am going to write ten million words.
Here’s where you all come in, I am taking suggestions for what to write. A poem for a loved one, a letter to your best friend, a story. Whatever you want.
Head over to http://www.tenmillionwords.com
Facebook group: htttp://www.facebook.com/tenmillionwords
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/10000000words
I truly hope you all come and join me on this journey.
Yours,
James Richardson-Brown
Dear Governors,
I now present to you the second item that the “doctors” of the Miskatonic university are outfitted with by their patron, Captain J. B. Sydeian. The Apollo Mask. This mask has been based on the plague doctor masks of the 16th century. Whereas in those dark times the beak of the doctors mask was stuffed with herbs, flowers and vinegar to dispel the “miasmatic airs”. Sydeians mask instead uses an advanced filtration unit in order to protect his doctors from both chemical and biological dangers.
The meanings behind the strange markings adorning the mask in the form of paintings and religious seals are of uncertain origin and usage.
What dangers Sydeian believed his doctors faced is not yet known from my researches. I have no doubt that further investigation will yield more in depth findings.
I know there have been some words of doubt from some parties regarding my reports but I leave you with words from Sydeian’s own writings though quoting Shakespeare.
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
Your Obedient Servant,
Mr. Oswald Varner
I have just returned from Waltz on the Wye, Wales’ first Steampunk festival (http://wyewaltz.org)
There was a creations exhibit for which I created a new version of my steampunk K-9.
Introducing K-1909
I’m also honoured to say that he was voted favourite creation of the festival by festival attendees and public viewers.
(I have written this article in response to requests for information on steamgoth. It is subject to a Creative Commons licence which means it can be used anywhere you wish as long as it is not changed and I am recognised as the author and this site is linked to i.e. “Article by James Richardson-Brown http://www.sydeiancreations.com” If you could also let me know you’ve used it via a comment or e-mail that would be very appreciated.)
Steamgoth – An introduction by James Richardson-Brown http://www.sydeiancreations.com
Four years ago in 2007 I was asked by a magazine to write an article on steampunk, a then little known subculture. As part of that article they asked me if it was likely there would be any offshoots of steampunk and I responded I felt it was likely that we would see a darker form of steampunk emerge, which I called Steamgoth. Since that time more and more people have become interested by the idea of steamgoth. Back in 2007, the question most asked of people like myself, Thomas Willeford, Datamancer, et al was “what is steampunk?”. Now the question I am starting to be asked has become “what is Steamgoth?” A question I’ll endeavor to answer in this article.
Steamgoth is a far darker view of the steampunk world. Whereas steampunk can often be said to be science fiction set in an alternative Victorian-era world, Steamgoth would be horror set in that same world. Steampunk of course has authors contemporary to the Victorian era those that revel in science and adventure: Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, etc. Steamgoth has it’s own prototypes in the likes of Mary Shelley and H. P. Lovecraft those that delight in the darkness of man and all that is hidden.
The Victorian world was obsessed by occutism. This can easily be seen through the Victorian love of mourning wear, seances and the esoteric writings of men such as Aleister Crowley. This was partly fuelled by sociological factors, it had long been the fashion to follow the reigning monarch for ideas on correct etiquette. After the death of Prince Albert in 1861, Queen Victoria entered into a period of mourning that would last the rest of her life. Anthropological factors also played a part. It has been said that you were more likely to live out the week in the 19th century if you were over 90 than if you were a newborn baby. People facing the realities of death before their eyes often look toward religion and the supernatural. The Victorians took to these ideas with great zeal. Seances were social events, every city had its share of spiritualists and items such as tarot cards, ouija boards and crystal balls entered popular culture.
When the explosion in interest of scientific devices and methods hit Victorian society the inevitable happened, the two worlds combined. The science and technology so loved by steampunks and the occult and esoteric worlds that enamour many goths. Edison mentioned use of a “sensitive recording device” to pick up communications from the dead (though later claims he had created a spiri-com are generally agreed to be hoaxes), William H. Mumler created spirit photography in the 1860′s (in which spirits of the dead were purportedly photographed alongside living people). In these ways science and the supernatural became entwined.
This is where Steamgoth lives. The dark recesses of the Victorian era. What if Edison really did contact the dead? Houdini really did have the dark powers that were sometimes claimed of him? Jack the Rippers miraculous escapes from the police were part of a sinister and far reaching conspiracy?
We now find ourselves with a new sub-culture to join and enrich as artists, musicians and members of a uniquely dark world. Steamgoth as a relatively new term is little used currently and often people will use alternative terms such as steampunk and goth, some people even just use steampunk for all that encompasses anachronistic Victorianism. However, some of the pieces that have been created and described as Steampunk lovingly embrace all that exemplifies Steamgoth with its dark secrets and occult fascinations.
In modern times, books, films and video games have all taken Steamgoth as their inspiration or genre. In film, movies such as “van Helsing”, “Frankenstein”, and “Re-animator”. Books such as “Monsters, Magic, and Machines”. Video games such as Darkwatch”. All of these contemporary works contain the necessary mix of an alternative Victorian-era setting, horror and that very Human trait, a love of the mysterious.
The home grown sculpting movement assisted by steampunk has a wide range of steamgoth examples. My own range of sculptures and writings known as “Sydeian Creation’s Black Laboratory” have often been described as steampunk and while this a fair label I believe the dark, esoteric nature of them fall far more into the steamgoth genre. Looking at Dr. Grymm’s “Eyepod” device, Art Donovan’s “Electric Skull” and Molly Friedrich’s “Mechanical Womb with Clockwork Fetus” it could be argued that even as well known and well loved pieces within the steampunk art world, they fit perfectly within the steamgoth genre.
Steampunk clothing has often been described as earthy tones such as brown, ivory and brass. Indeed, “brown is the new black” has been mentioned quite often as the motto of goths turned steampunk. In steamgoth fashion I saw a return towards black but also incorporating some of the rich, decadent colours of the victorian era such as red, purple and gold/brass. Colours that invoke a sense of gaslit laboratories, mysterious libraries and intrigue amongst late night London streets.
Victorian anachoronism has a new darker face. Next time you feel the need to hunt vampires in Highgate Cemetary, make sure you take a steamgoth with you, a knowledge of science and occultism may just serve you well.
Steamgoth – An Introduction by James Richardson-Brown is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.sydeiancreations.com.
Dear Governors,
I have managed to find what limited records remain of the Apollo mask and the hand of Asclepius. It would appear that these devices are medical instruments provided to the medics in order to allow them to treat, in Sydeian’s own words, “The numerous afflictions of body and mind at the touch of the glove” While at the same time “Remaining free of noxious materials yourselves by reason of Apollo’s mask.
The hand of Asclepius
As you can see the hand allows the user to perform a number of medical procedures, whilst keeping the hands mostly free and remaining enclosed in the safety of the protective suit.
In my next letter I shall introduce the Apollo mask.
Yours,
Oswald Varner
My next discovery comes alongside a somewhat tragic tale. During my investigations into the box of records I purchased at auction I came across an old leather-bound notebook. The front cover was marked “First Gateway”
The newspaper cuttings inside detailed a series of occurrences over the course of three months which I shall summarise here for your consideration.
The first set of cuttings are numerous small bylines. Mentioning strange events occurring in the small town of Leftfield just a few miles outside Arkham. Small objects were seen to fly around, a few cases of ball lightning, etc. Nothing to raise any real speculation. Just the usual mildly interesting happenings that can be found in many small town newspapers.
Over the next few weeks these occurrences increased along with some more disturbing happenings. A Mrs. Gratton reported being startled from her bed by the sound of breaking crockery. On investigating the noise, she reported hearing voices and gentle laughter from the kitchen cupboards. Suspecting her children and ready to tell them off she tore open the cupboard doors to find nothing there. Only a moment later she was pushed head first into the cupboards and found the doors slammed shut while raucous laughter sounded from all around her. She would later swear that the source of the laughter was in the cupboard with her. She was released by her husband next morning in a catatonic state and was only able to tell her story with a heavy application of morphine.
Entering the second month the articles had gone from byline curiosities to front page news. The local police department was at a loss to explain the reports of disappearances and attacks along with warnings not to enter the forests surrounding the town.
Another cutting describes the experiences of a Mr Merrit, on a night time hunting expedition in the woods. “It was deathly quiet among the trees, which I noted as being unusual for the woods even at night. The moon was just approaching half full and was low in the sky as I approached the giants steps (editors note: I looked into this and found that the giants steps referred to are an ancient arrangement of stones in the forest a short walk from the village). All of a sudden a bright red light erupted from the stones. It felt unpleasantly sticky and hot like being caught within the heat of a bakehouse oven on a summers day. My skin began to itch. I decided to return home, such a journey I hope no living man nor woman ever need take again. For the pathways I have trod since childhood seemed to twist and turn before my eyes. As I tried my best to follow it, a chattering, snarling voice dogged my steps. I entered my house more dead than alive and this is where you find me now. But even now every night I know I will be plagued by the sound of bells and whispering voices.
The last cutting in the book is in the form of a telegraph from the village passed to the university from Arkham’s sheriff office. “come quickly STOP in the name of god help us STOP”
At this point the author of the book begins to explain what happened from thus point on:
“On arrival of the telegram Sydeian presented a small group of us with the cuttings I have included earlier in this notebook. He mentioned that he had been afraid of this very occurrence and tried to briefly explain some of what he called Gateway Theory. A subject I shall question him further on and include later in this book if I am able to extract more information from him. He warned us that we may see things in the town that would test our resolve to the utmost but to remember that we are scientists. He chose a group of us; two physicists, a chemist and four medics. He was determined we should always be seven to a group. (editors note: a piece of superstition which merely goes further to undermine this mans supposed science). He then revealed to us two of his newest inventions, namely the Apollo mask and the hand of Asclepius. These were to be worn at all times by us medics, the other three were to be taken into separate briefings later for their own devices while Sydeian kept us medics behind to teach us the usage of these two bizarre creations.”
I now tire at so much copywriting and so shall send details of these devices in my next letter.
Yours,
Oswald Varner
Further to my last letter I have, as requested, continued my researches and come across a veritable treasure trove in the form of a collection of papers bought at auction right here in Arkham.
This unique collection consists of one man’s research into the devices created by Sydeian at the Black Laboratory. The papers are a rag tag collection of notes, sketches and photographs therefore I ask that you be patient in receiving these devices one at a time.
The first device I present to you is listed under the title:
The Psycho-Scope
According to the notes, it would appear that Sydeian had been reading of an art being peddled by some psychics known as psychometry, which is said to be the process whereby facts or impressions about a person or thing are received through contact with an object associated with the subject of the impressions. Sydeian at first dismissed this art but then seems to have fallen into deep thought on the possibilities.
His researches lead to discovering just how much information may be scientifically gleaned from an inanimate object…
The object to be read is placed into a chamber at which various measuring devices are pointed. Several readings are taken and from these readings the skilled operator can ascertain various pieces of information including the objects age, whereabouts in the world it has come from and even, to a certain degree, to whom it belongs.
I will prepare a more detailed report on the methodology of the devices operation at a later date.
Yours,
Mr. Oswald Varner
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