Stoke up those coals, wind up those gears and don those goggles Melbourne, because Friday the 2nd of March brings a Steampunk extravaganza of such coolness that even a difference engine would have trouble computing – Steamscape. After having opened up their gallery and store, Post Industrial Design, back in February, partners Jos Van Hulsen and Mary Long are already making a grand impact on the Melbourne scene with a unique vision for their enterprise. One such vision, is the presentation of this upcoming steampunk event!

Man, you know, next to old school cyberpunk, steampunk is one of our favourite genres of both literature and subculture cool – and when we read the release below, we got pretty damn excited!

“Steamscape” is a collaboration with Clockwork Butterfly as part of the LOreal Fashion week Cultural Program. Alexandra Chambers is the creative behind Clockwork Butterfly and was the artistic adviser for the recent Circus Oz production Steampowered, she has a substantial body of work behind her and I am very excited to be able to collaborate with such a talented designer.

The Opening for this project is a free event and will be on the evening of Friday the second of March at Post Industrial Design in Barkly Street West Footscray, and will consist of a fashion show combined with performances including Circus and  Magic, to integrate the different aspects of the exhibition into a vibrant and unusual experience. The Steampunk theme will create a distinctive gallery opening and exhibition that will appeal to a wide audience combining beautiful timeless aesthetics and a love of detail with dynamic industrial designs.

The exhibition “Steamscape” will show in the gallery space for just over three weeks finishing on March 25th. The Left window will be set up to give a taster of the exhibition for anyone who drives past. The fashion of Clockwork Butterfly will be showcased with the industrial sculpture of local artist Jos Van Hulsen along with several other designers.

We are very excited about our latest upcoming show Steamscape. We have some of Melbournes top performers involved in the opening night. We also have Michael Pryor doing an illustrated history of Steampunk here at the gallery on March 18th at 3pm. Michael is the author of the best-selling ‘Laws of Magic’ series and we are very chuffed to have him part of the exhibition.

The schedule for the event is:

6.00 pm – Exhibition opens
6.30 pm – Magic show with Cath Jamison
7.30 pm – Fashion Parade
8.30 pm – Circus performance by Chris Bennett
9.00 pm – evening concludes

We also have the Penny Dreadfuls playing throughout the evening!”

PID looks like one pretty cool venue with some cool people behind it. Steamscape is part exhibition, part performance, part visual display, and part costumed awesomeness. Also, if you haven’t been immersed in the world of steampunk before, or are not really sure what it is, then this is great chance to check it out in its home grown awesomeness.

Yay for actual innovative events in conjunction with Fashion Week!

Who: Jos Van Hulsen, Alexandra Chambers, Mad Uncle Cliff, Fyodor Krasniy, Olivia Duval, Jennie Rosenbaum, The Gently Unfurling Sneak, Oku Den, Chanelle Collier and Geoff Wilson, Clockwork Butterfly, Cath Jamison, Chris Ben
What: Steamscape – An Exhibition (Steampunk)
Where: Post Industrial Design, 638 Barkly Street, West Footscray, Victoria
When: Show opens Friday 2nd March, from 6pm til 9pm and runs til the 18th of March

Check out the Post Industrial Design website, and the Facebook event page!