For the November edition of the Grahamstown Gazette, I was asked to write an feature on my experience at the Weekend at the Asylum steampunk festival held in Lincoln, England, in August 2015.
Weekend at the Asylum VII: Europe’s Most Splendid
Steampunk Festival
A special report from
European Correspondent Mademoiselle Archivy Daguerre Rouge, a.k.a Nicole
Thorburn
As my train screeched to a slow and rattling halt, I
couldn’t help but think Lincoln Central looked like every other station I’d
passed through in my travels through the UK. A little brick building with the
usual collection of men in suits and bored security guards, my first impressions
of Lincoln was nothing out of the ordinary.
Moments later, I saw them. Top hats
and goggles, a silk waistcoat and a long lace skirt; this was a couple who
didn’t do things by halves. They were the height of Victorian glamour, with a
twist of science fiction. Striding through the tiny station as if they owned
it, the pair was gone within seconds. This wasn’t so much a train station as a
time machine. I was about to spend the weekend in a past that never was.
Weekend at the Asylum is one of the world’s biggest
and oldest steampunk conventions. Taking place over four days in Lincoln’s
historic Castle Square, Weekend at the Asylum turns the sleepy precinct into a
neo-Victorian metropolis, where finely dressed steampunk aficionados quickly
outnumber the city’s population of ‘normals.’ While weekend passes and day tickets
are the most popular – allowing access to a huge variety to markets,
exhibitions, events and lectures across four different venues – the hottest
tickets in town are for the evening programme. The War of the Worlds Dinner, Empire
Ball and Dead Dog Party are the highlights of the social calendar, while
perennial favourite ‘Oh Dear, What Would the Major Say?’ is a wholesome night
of ‘folk singing,’ which quickly turns into fabulous burlesque the moment the poor
Major isn’t looking.
Steampunk, however, does have a serious side, and the
serious business of crowning of the UK National Tea Duelling Champion was a
highlight of my trip. A far more civilised and sophisticated method of settling
disputes than tradition pistol duelling (although taken just as seriously), two
players face off under the watchful eye of the Tiffin Master, dunking a biscuit
into a cup of tea and holding it upright. If you eat your biscuit before your
opponent, or your biscuit is the first to disintegrate, you lose. The national
final took place in front of a full house at Lincoln’s Assembly Rooms, where
hundreds of steampunks cheered on each biscuit’s waterlogged wobble.
One event which definitely wasn’t a highlight at all,
because it certainly didn’t happen and I’ve no idea at all what you’re talking
about, was the infamous Illicit Market. Absolutely not held every year in
extreme secrecy at Lincoln Castle, the Illicit Market provides an opportunity for
independent traders to sell ‘exotic goods’ – such as crochet octopuses or
steampunk jewellery – under the watchful eye of the Guild of Privateers,
Illicit Entrepreneurs and Scoundrels. During a frenzied half-hour of selling
and trading, all items for sale are smuggled into the venue and quickly hidden
away whenever ‘the authorities’ make an unexpected approach. Of course, I
couldn’t tell you anything about it, as it categorically didn’t take place and
I most definitely did not buy my favourite new leather bracelet there.
I was truly blown away by the camaraderie and openness
of the international steampunk community. People I barely knew offered to lend
me outfits and jewellery. Professional photographers offered free portraits in
the streets. Total strangers – dedicated steampunks and confused muggles alike
– felt comfortable approaching each other to ask questions, share ideas and
take photos. Coglings (steampunk children) dressed up with their families. Two
months after the event itself, participants are still happily swapping stories
and reminiscing over favourite photos online – counting down the days to
Weekend at the Asylum VIII, in 2016. I was fortunate to be able to volunteer as
a steward at the festival; an opportunity which gave me a rare glimpse behind
the scenes. It’s the effort of a small group of delightfully mad people, with a
huge amount of community support, which makes Asylum one of the world’s
greatest and most splendid celebrations of all things steampunk.
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