Parliament and Wake is a website that features a series of incomplete books that explore the outer reaches of their Steampunk world. The stories are entertaining to read and accompanied with some fantastic Steampunk fashion photography. The website is updated often with new segments to ongoing sagas, so it’s worth visiting often.
Here’s the lead photo on Part Four of the Fenn Cycle, published on the 27th of December:
But what really attracts me to Parliament and Wake is their take on Steampunk philosophy. The believe, as I do, that the “punk” in Steampunk is more than just a powerless suffix. In their section entitled, “Are We Steampunk?” they have this to say about the political lens through which they view Steampunk. This is just a segment of a larger article on the topic, but this is the heart of their argument:
… we understand that people want to dress up as airship captains because it’s escapist and fun. Go for it, have your costume contests and carry around all your guns. We just want you not to stop there. Think, even if it’s just for thirty seconds while you’re adjusting your goggles, whether it might not be worthwhile to be a little bit “punk.” Go tear down a minor tyrant who tells you that you can’t wear a 20th century helmet and still be Steampunk. See how it feels. We bet you’ll like it. Maybe you’ll like it so much that you’ll decide you’d like to take on some bigger tyrants too. Maybe you’ll start wondering why we tolerate the existence of a company like BP, and whether tax cuts for bankers when 10% of the United States is unemployed are a good idea. Maybe you’ll want to tear a little bit at the belly of a social behemoth while you’re throwing your pageant for its grand, decrepit, so-called golden ages.
Any group that promotes the arts and political awareness is sure to get my vote of confidence, and I’m happy to say that Parliament and Wake definitely fits the bill. You can follow their every developing stories through their website, and connect to them through Facebook.