AFA and Steampuffin Present STEAMPUNKINETICS, 6/23

AFA and Steampuffin are pleased to present "Steampunkinetics," an exhibition of more than forty kinetic sculptures by eighteen artists inspired by and entrenched in the Steampunk aesthetic. Some functional, some frivolous, and all fantastical, the works in this exhibition include lighting, furniture, time machines, submarines, airships, musical instruments, gizmos and gadgets.

At the centerpiece of the show is the "Steampunk Wedding Time Capsule," by Bruce Rosenbaum and Gary Sullivan, an extraordinary, functional work of art designed to enrich its owner's day-to-day life. Mementos can be added to the antique clock at the time of purchase and annually. The capsule can then be opened at a time and date (25-year wedding anniversary? 100 years in the future?) set by the family revealing a lifetime, or several generations, of history, happiness, heartache and home. In this way the "Steampunk Wedding Time Capsule" captures and celebrates the beauty, romance, nostalgia, novelty and inventiveness at the core of Steampunk.

An emerging art movement, a creative design solution, a community and a culture; Steampunk is part philosophy and part Victorian Industrial aesthetic. It is a re-imagining of two distinct time periods and the fanciful and functional inventions that are produced. What if the Victorian or Industrial age happened at the same time as our modern or information age - what would have been produced in inventions, innovations, art and gadgets? That is Steampunk.

"Steampunkinetics" includes works by Tanya Clarke, Chris Conte, Eric Freitas, Josh Kinsey, Pierre Matter, Chris Osborne, Steve LaRiccia, Bruce Rosenbaum, Mark Eliot Schwabe, Wayne Strattman, Gary Sullivan, Roger Wood, Dale Mathis, Alan Rorie, Doug Meyer, Thomas Truax, Thomas Willeford, Bud Scheffel and Russel Anderson.

The opening reception for "Steampunkinetics" will take place on June 23, 6-8 pm. The reception is free and open to the public. RSVP is requested to rsvp@afanyc.com.