“The lives of robots have always been a topic explored by authors and artists alike. Isaac Asimov has written some of the best novels in the history of robots, DreamWorks created the computer animated movie Robots in 2005 and Pixar is currently making Wall-E.

“But it is not just the “big guys” who create amazing robotic art. Independent artist Andrew Chase is making this 50-page picture book about the Robot TME (short for “Trionic Morphatractable Engineer”)” and the pictures are absolutely stunning! See more at this Page. Thanks to a Mr Andy Barss for bringing this to our attention!

Brass Goggles has always celebrated the lighter side of steampunk: the cheerful and bright aspects of the genre, the goggles and the zeppelins and the brass; the sort of steampunk that we can all blissfully enjoy in colorful reminiscence of times past.

But there is more to the genre and to the movement than that. Indeed, from the very start, there were some rather dark and gloomy novels that anticipated the popularity of steampunk. Morlock Night (1979), The Steel Tsar (1981) and Homunculus (1986) aren’t exactly the sort of stuff one happily reads to the children. Even Alan Moore’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is pretty dense. And these days of course, we have the film noir-ish back alleys, the petroleum and the pollution and Nazi experiments run amock of dieselpunk.

It is from this “darker side” of things that I would like to bring you regular reports here at Brass Goggles for there is a lot going on that even the aficionado of the Neo-Victorian ought not to dismiss right away.

First, since rather recently, there is Tome’s website and community Dieselpunks to persue. With interviews with steampunk and dieselpunk artists, authors and musicians as well as a blog and discussion forums, Dieselpunks offers plenty of good stuff.

If you care to learn more about the fashion and lifestyle of dieselpunk, visit Gearing Up: a nifty blog updated every so many days with excellent pictures.

To learn more about the history of the genre, read the Dieselpunk Chronology of Steampunkopedia. The website also has an extended Steampunk Chronology on offer and is updated regularly with the latest in both genres.

Of course things aren’t always dark in dieselpunk (just think of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow) just as things aren’t always so bright in the realm of steampunk. The French blog Steamblog does a great job at showing how steampunk can be gloomy at times while the project Monsters in the Sky is worth checking out if you don’t object to gargantuan ironclads steaming ahead among the clouds.

That is all for this Report then. I shall be back with more news not too long from now. Stay tuned!

Artwork by Sam Van Olffen.

Mr Robert Shuttleworth from Toronto, Canada makes some excellent steampunk machines and miniature robots too!

The creation depicted here is a “remake of a heater to a web cam with 1890s optics yields Alice Through the Looking Glass style view,” according to the artist. Combined, it makes for sheer brilliance, don’t you agree? It goes to show that even the most modern of technologies can be appropriately styled for our tastes.

Click here to read more about this particular contraption, or visit Mr Shuttleworth’s blog for more.

Edge of Twilight is an upcoming steampunk fantasy video game, developed by Fuzzyeyes Studios for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

“The story of the Edge of Twilight,” writes Mr Finch Adelbrecht, “is about a fantasy world after the Rift, an occurrence that split the world into two separate realms of Day and Night. In this post-apocalyptic world the player takes on the role of Lex, a bounty hunter. He gets caught in the clash between two civilizations, the Atherns and the Lithern. In a battle over a vast energy source, the Lithern became imprisoned and even the victims of genocide at the hands of the Atherns. Presumably, no Lithern survived. Lex is the sole surviving halfbreed in the world, which gives him the unique ability to travel between the Day and Night realms. This ability will become the world’s only chance to avoid falling into darkness forever.”

Be sure to visit the game’s website (which makes for quite an interactive experience in itself) to view a trailer, screenshots and concept art. The game is scheduled for release later this year.

The one thing always lacking from Captain Nemo’s Nautilus submarine has now finally been built by one Olly Klassen. Behold here what is undoubtedly the most steampunk home cinema in the world! Visit the website for more pictures.

House of Secrets Incorporated is the independent designers identity of a Miss Hilde Heyvaert from Belgium, who specializes in original and custom-made steampunk outfits that should agree to any type of steampunk enthusiast!

The lovely photograph above show several items from her “Steampunk Adventurer” wardrobe. Besides the goggles (“Girl Genius”), aviator hat (“‘t Amerikaantje”), belts (“Moda Stoffen”) and boots (“Schuh”), all clothes depicted are custom made, combined to produce an attractive outfit that breaths both steampunk and adventure.

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On November 5th, the Daily Mail reported that, “Students in ‘Weird Science’ Halloween party [were] arrested under anti-terror laws.“

A group of students had their ‘Mad Scientist’ party brought to an abrupt end when police mistook them for terrorists. The private party, held in Hackney, north London, was organised by a group of friends dressed in white laboratory coats and wigs, who put on a display of theatrical ‘experiments’ to entertain guests. But when police entered the building for a routine check in the early hours of Sunday morning, they discovered scientific debris and plastic skeletons and mistook it for terrorist paraphernalia or drug-making equipment.

You can read the Full Article online. Thanks to a Mr Kevin DiVico for bringing this to our attention!

We presume that “Nautica” is the name of the mysterious lady depicted here against the backdrop of a dirigible inspired by the airship from the 2005 animated short film, The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Japser Morello. While the dirigible is positively steampunk, the lady herself appears like she would be better in place in some noir jazz bar or nightclub; indeed, the whole picture evokes the promise of some astounding pulp-inspired dieselpunk story!

This fine depiction was created by a German artist who goes by the handle of “Sulphar-Fire,” and she maintains a collection of further artwork on display at her Profile.

Mr Mark Dalzell tipped us about one of his latest creations, this wonderful steampunk-styled guitar, built for the 2008 Jersey City Artists Studio Tour.

“Designed using elements of steampunk,” Mr Dalzell says, the contraption “incorporates clockwork gears, hand hammered brass, cloth wire and wood to show an alternate historical glimpse of a 19th century electric guitar.” Quite fascinating! You can see more photographs in this Set.

Clive Batkin is a new (and hopefully upcoming) steampunk artist of whom we proudly display two perfectly stylish creations here.

The first image depicts a steampunk desk lamp called “The Optimus” by Mr Batkin, after the Swedish-made brass stove that forms the base of the lamp. Simple and beautiful, “The Optimus” should perfectly complement any steampunk enthusiast’s desk–and we want one too!

Depicted besides the lamp is a steampunk desk fan created in similar style. Mr Batkin explains that, “construction centered around lots of copper pipe,” with “some of the beautiful newly designed UK one penny coins” used as end caps and decoration, “and lots of random brass/copper bits and pieces here and there.” The result makes for an elegance pure and shining that represents the work of an undeniable new voice in steampunk style.