12-31-2008, 07:49 PM
I didn't want to hijack the interesting steam tank thread that Flavius statred, so here's a related topic...
A few weeks back AuxArcher and I were discussing Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey's artillery designs in his book on crossbows. Dane compared the iron spur gears and other Victorian looking items Sir ralph was fond of adding, to the artistic movement known as "SteamPunk". For those unfamililiar with the genre, it involves taking familliar modern items and making them look as if they had been built in the late 19th Century. Designs include lots of cast iron, copper boilers, and brass hardware. It's apparently a response to the CyberPunk movement. For example, a computer might have round mother-of-pearl keys and an ornate gold filigree frame around the monitor. Very cool stuff. The two best film examples I can think of are the Will Smith version of Wild Wild West and the classic Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang (written by Ian Fleming of James Bond fame. Flying car etc...it makes sense). That got me thinking...
If we started a similar school of design making things look as if they were built with Roman technology, materials, and sensibilities what would it be called? The only name I've been able to come up with is "HurPunk" in homage to that Hollywoood classic Ben Hur. I know that scythed chariots and leather seggies are not really Roman, but that's not the point. It's about our reactions to them and playing on our modern perceptions. Can anyone suggest a better name? How about some cool projects?
A few weeks back AuxArcher and I were discussing Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey's artillery designs in his book on crossbows. Dane compared the iron spur gears and other Victorian looking items Sir ralph was fond of adding, to the artistic movement known as "SteamPunk". For those unfamililiar with the genre, it involves taking familliar modern items and making them look as if they had been built in the late 19th Century. Designs include lots of cast iron, copper boilers, and brass hardware. It's apparently a response to the CyberPunk movement. For example, a computer might have round mother-of-pearl keys and an ornate gold filigree frame around the monitor. Very cool stuff. The two best film examples I can think of are the Will Smith version of Wild Wild West and the classic Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang (written by Ian Fleming of James Bond fame. Flying car etc...it makes sense). That got me thinking...
If we started a similar school of design making things look as if they were built with Roman technology, materials, and sensibilities what would it be called? The only name I've been able to come up with is "HurPunk" in homage to that Hollywoood classic Ben Hur. I know that scythed chariots and leather seggies are not really Roman, but that's not the point. It's about our reactions to them and playing on our modern perceptions. Can anyone suggest a better name? How about some cool projects?
P. Clodius Secundus (Randi Richert), Legio III Cyrenaica
"Caesar\'s Conquerors"
"Caesar\'s Conquerors"
