Reflecting on four years of Emporium Vernesque, and my conclusions

With the fourth and final edition of Emporium Vernesque behind us I had some time to reflect on four years of this great event, organized by Johanna Theresia and Dick Zwart.
But next year there will be a musicnight with some Steampunk-themed bands without the market, workshop and the like. And that will be the final bow for this great event. Thanks Johanna and Dick for this great event. I'll wager It will be fondly remembered for many years. Not only was it an event that attracted the best of Steampunk the Dutch community had to offer, it gave the Dutch community an international reputation for being outstanding (rather this is really true remains to be seen) by foreign visitors.
It also has a special place in my hearth because it was the first Emporium that made me start this blog, and all my projects that came out of it. So, no Emporium, no Tupperware Steampunk, no Dankaert Lexicon and no RAG-TAG. So I guess it very fitting I ended up giving my presentation on the main stage during this last edition.
This last Emporium reminded me why I lved this event so much. It was in 'De Willemeen' were the brightest minds of the Dutch community met with some of the great from Great Brittan and the US. Yes, it was small, but it created a great atmosphere to discuss the current state of Steampunk. And, we do need more of it!

By Don Bakhuizen Event Photography

As agreed, I gave a general presentation on Steampunk, it's history (and relationship to Cyberpunk) and possibly it's future. I was also interviews both days on the subject, which incidentally lead to some new insights I would like to share with you.
It's no secret I am disappointed  with the lack of innovation within the Dutch community. I feel that the community has patted itself on the back for to long, expecting the general audience and organizations interest in Steampunk and Steampunk-groups would last, regardless of their acts and it's rather lackluster approach to what it means to entertain. For years I attempted to make my message clear. And even thou nobody seemed to disagree with my sentiment, little real effort has been made to change this.Organizations are losing interest, the audience is tired of the 'Goths in Brown' and valuable members of the community are leaving, on the lookout for challenges elsewhere. It wasn't a coincidence that my blog went on a hiatus. There was just nothing happening worth writing about. Nothing inspired me to keep at it. If it wasn't for RAG-TAG, I would have given up all together. And that is a shame . Because Steampunk has such a unique position, such potential that remains greatly untapped. It could be used to teach history and science in an entertaining way, yet I have seen few examples. Apart from, what I consider, wasted potential it also prevent people, who are looking for challenges or educational activities, etc. , to be interested in our community. An good example would be RAG-TAG that draws a lot of people from outside the community who just want to work with kids or want to explore it's historical theme in new ways.

At the beginning of my presentation on Emporium I warned my audience that I would end on a rant on this very subject. After the presentation, I received similar attitudes towards the state of Steampunk from Dutch and non-Dutch attendees alike. Steampunk suffers from a lack of challenges and innovation. Hell, I even dare to say this is the reason why pointless things like Tea Dueling and Teapot Racing became a thing. It ain't great. But it something! I would also explain the popularity of themed groups like the Steampunk-Gun Club on Facebook that was many contests and challenges.
Steampunk as a community needs to innovate if it want's to remain relevant in the coming decade. It needs to find new ways the get the audience attention. Especially in an age were artistic expression in the west is getting scrutinized by Politically Correctness and self-censorship.

It's not to late, but we need to take action, sooner, rather than later. We need to innovate, reach out to our audience and create real, interactive, entertainment. Make educational material and social commentary before we become another cultural and intellectual dead end like so many subcultures that came before us..