Dollys and Dandys, how much do I love living in the Bay Area, a treasure trove of creative swirly heads who put up their tent pole to create a sublime subculture out of history, a little steel, a bit of steam, a little lace and quite possibly, a snifter of absinthe. This, my kumquats is where myself and the mister are spending our weekend: in a sliver of history that might have been. Make sure you check out the launch of Dark Gardens haunting and haute new Dollymop line at the fab fashion show on Saturday night: Alterna-bridal (and boudoir) looks to be displayed. Mon Dieu! See you there!
Event of the Season
The Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition returns to the San Francisco Bay Area March 12-14, 2010 presenting a world of polished mahogany, leather and brass, where steam power, airships and clockwork are the cutting edge of technology; a neo-Victorian experience, spanning from the 1830s to the early 1900s and from cultivated London to the rugged coast of San Francisco. The Exhibition has moved to the Hilton Garden Inn in Emeryville, CA for 2010, preparing to host an estimated 1000+ attendees. It will offer a huge Traders’ Concourse and over 25 programs in three tracks including academic presentations, panel discussions and hands-on “Maker” workshops. Our Guests of Honor are: James Blaylock (Author of Homunculus, The Digging Leviathan, Land of Dreams), Phil and Kaja Foglio (Artists of Girl Genius), and Jon Sarriugarte (Maker of The Golden Mean, Electrobite and much more). Appearances also include “Steampunk Scholar” Mike Perschon, Tor Books Editor Liz Gorinsky and acclaimed new Steampunk author Gail Carriger (Soulless, Orbit Books).
New for 2010 is an amazing outdoor Exploratory Steam and Kinetics Enclosure, featuring The Golden Mean snail art car, Tom Sepe’s “Whirlygig Emoto” hybrid steam motorcycle, and steam vehicles, boilers, Pandemonium and Caliope from the Crew of the Neverwas Haul!
For evening entertainment, Exhibition guests can trip the gaslight fantastic at the Steampunk Ball, don their Steamy best to compete in the Costume Competition and gather for the illustrious Party-at the Center of the Earth. Special $99 room rates are available at the hotel for Nova Albion guests on a first-come, firstserved basis and can be booked at: www.steampunkexhibition.com/hotel-reservations/.
The Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition is a celebration of all things Steampunk, from Gaslamp fantasy to clockwork mechanicals, and everything in-between. The event is a chance for fans, authors, makers, tinkerers, adventurers and folks of all stripes to gather, converge, discuss and experience the excitement and the possibilities of an alternate History-That-Might-Have-Been.
$60 Early Bird tickets are on sale now at: http://www.steampunkexhibition.com/tickets – prices will increase to $75 at the door.
Photography: Russ Young
Excerpted from www.steampunkexhibition.com









