Time travel. Airships. Steam trains. Explorers. Victorian fantasy is made real through the eyes of a contemporary Steampunk artist. This creative dissertation stems from a love of a culture and the creative viewpoints within its philosophy that seeks to re-imagine Victorian history using nostalgia and art. Instead of portraying history as it truly happened, Steampunks use a nostalgic, utopic version to display parallels between social justice issues from the past and present, bringing them forward, and depicting new and creative manners in addressing them.
This project combines the works of an artist and her art journal, the addition of Steampunk and Victorian elements, added fantasy, and real issues looking at them through the lens of nostalgic perfection. Steampunk’s inspiration stems from the Victorian era, using the methods and skills gained from the Arts and Crafts (1890–1920) era, the Art Nouveau (1890–1910) era, and the Art Deco (1910–1939) era, re-introducing them in contemporary society. Using art history, and personal creativity, this exploration of Steampunk culture and art studies three social, cultural, and environmental issues including arts in education, environmental degradation, and women’s roles in art history. History parallels modernity, and it is through deep exploration of Steampunk that the similarities are depicted, and recognition given.