Monday, August 27, 2012

Interview with Steampunker Constance Bashford

I have asked Constance Bashford to tell me a little more about herself and Steampunk and a lovely story came out of that!

Here it is:

What is your name and how old are you?
My character is Constance Bashford and I (ánd my character ;-)) am 28 y/o.

Can you tell my readers something about what Steampunk is?
Honestly I think everyone has a different opinion om whát Steampunk is...
For me it's reliving and era that has never been. There is no electricity, only steampowered machines and handcraft. In clothing you can see a lot of Victorian influences, but really you can make just about anything "Steampunk". 
Picture zeppelins, corsets on women, gallant men and picknicks in the park. And don't forget the guns!

Do you have a Steampunk character and what is her name?
Yes I do. In fact, no one knows the identity behind the character!

What does Steampunk mean to you?
 Basically what I said as answer to question 2. I would like to add that what I love about Steampunk is that you can create anything yourself and it's so much to create your own look and outfits. For instance, I really love Lolita ánd Steampunk. What do I do, I combine the two and wear Lolipunk. Dressing up is so much fun and I love the general look of Steampunk. It can be so classy, especially on the gents. 

Where do you think Steampunk is heading?
Seeing as many artists (Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber) get steampunk inspired videoclips, I would say it will become a bit more popular, though I don't know if that's the right kind of popularity we need...
Eventually the media interest will get smaller and smaller and everything will be as before. For me personally it means quite a lot, and I am not near being done with it. In facy, I am in the process of steampunkin' my own house.

What got you into Steampunk to begin with? 
Hmm, that's a hard question....I think it kinda sneaked its way into my brain. I've always love "tinkering" (which would be the Steampunk word for building things, handcrafting, etc.) and I love Steampunk/Victorian themed movies. When I went to my first event (Elf Fantasy Fair Haarzuilens 2009) I remember seeing this Steampunk girl and I was like... I WANT THAT!! And luckily my boyfriend loves it too, so we're in it together!

What inspires your costumes, do you make them yourself and how long does it take to create them?
Unfortunately I can't sow. So the clothes I wear are bought or I have others make them for me. The props I make myself and love to do so. What inspires me are things like movies (for instance Sucker Punch), stuff I find on the internet and random stuff that comes out of my brain.

Do you see a difference between the Steampunk culture in the Netherlands and the rest of the world?
Yes! There is a huge difference! In the USA for instance, you see a lot of huge chest/shoulder/arm pieces in heavy chunks of leather and lots of stuff glued onto them. In the Netherlands we hardly see that kind of stuff.

Is there anything else you would like my readers to know about you or Steampunk?
I would like to say that anything is possible within the Steampunk genre. You don't need the standard goggles, steamwings or guns that everyone else wears to be a Steampunker. Just be who you want to be. You don't want to be like the rest.

Thank you Constance for taking the time to do this interview.




The first picture was taken by Chopen. The second picture by Eric Oaktree.



  



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