VISUAL ARTS

Museum Opens Steampunk Exhibit in a Ghoulish Celebration

Waltham- Last year's steampunk exhibition at the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation left audience asking for more. This fall the Museum is only too willing to oblige their appetites and will open Steampunk, Form & Function II, Another Exhibition of Innovation, Invention and Gadgetry, sponsored by Steampuffin, appropriately on Halloween night. The opening reception will transform the museum for one night only into a haunted experience filled with ghosts, magic, a séance and more!

Inspired by the works of authors like Jules Verne and H.G Wells, and grown out of the world of science fiction, steampunk has become a cultural phenomenon like that of the punk rock movement of the 1980’s or the Goth movement of the 1990’s. Supporters of the movement describe steampunk as an alternate history where modern technology and Victorian life meet. At its core steampunk asks the question, what would the world look like if modern technology were available, when steam was king, corsets were mandatory and man was learning to fly? Since its inception in the 1980’s, the movement has infiltrated mainstream fashion, art, interior design, literature, technology and entertainment. Elements of the movement can be seen on the runway of Paris, in home design stores across the country, in Hollywood productions and on video gamers’ screens.

The Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation has fast become the home to the steampunk movement nationwide. Steampunk, Form & Function II offers an informational and interactive look into the world of steampunk and all that it encompasses including, fashion, literature, entertainment and much more. On display visitors will find modern Victorian clocks, steampunk lights, Steampunk coffee makers and even a steampunk humidifier. All the Steampunk functional art objects will have practical use and will feel comfortable in anyone’s home, business or office. Visitors can also use Victorian computer stations to discover the origins of this technological Victorian world or drop in a quarter and listen to Steampunk music on a Steampunk sound system or play some themselves on a steampunk baby grand piano.

Encompassed in the exhibit are over fifty works of art from some of the world’s finest Steampunk artists and amateurs. The artwork was submitted earlier this fall to the Museum’s Steampuffin Steampunk Form & Design Competition II sponsored by Steampuffin and ModVic Home Design. Each submission uses authentic Victorian Era antiques and incorporates modern technology into them to create a new functional Steampunk work of practical art.

Competition winners will be announced at a special Steampunk Halloween extravaganza exhibit opening reception on October 31, 2011, from 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm. Admission to the reception is $10.00 per adult and $5.00 per child, student or senior. Throughout the evening the Museum will host thematic events including an interactive Halloween experience designed by the nationally recognized Dr. Grymm Laboratories.

As part of the evening’s events Dr. Grymm, AKA, Joey Marsocci, is converting the main galleries of the museum in haunted house of sorts. In a Frankenstein meets Jane Eyre experiences, visitors 6 and up will encounter a scientific laboratory filled ghosts, magicians and steam powered monsters, etc. all powered by a giant Steam Boiler. Visitors are requested to arrive in costume and interact with the many characters they encounter (no masks please). The evening will conclude with the Massachusetts premier of the newly produced film “Steamdriven” by Ajar Communications. Light refreshments will be served. Reservations may be made by calling 781 893 5410 or by emailing info@crmi.org.

Steampunk Form & Function II opens October 31 runs through January 15, 2012. Admission is $10 for the general public and $5 for seniors\students; admission is free for children under six, US Military active and retired and museum members. The Museum is located at 154 Moody Street in Waltham, MA 02453. For museum hours more information visit http://www.crmi.org or call 617 893 5410.

About the Museum: The Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation is located on the scenic banks of the Charles River in the 19th century Boston Manufacturing Company textile mill complex, on the National Register of Historic Places as America’s first factory. The historic site has exhibits that allow visitors to explore the inventions that powered America into the modern-age - steam engines, generators, timepieces, machine tools, bicycles, automobiles, and hundreds of other innovations. The museum also offers a memorable backdrop for unique social or corporate events and functions. For more information, please visit www.crmi.org.