Steampunk Creator Thomas Willeford
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(Gallery by Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com)
An inconspicuous, old Victorian home in Harrisburg houses a mad scientist's steampunk laboratory.
Thomas Willeford, owner of Brute Force Studios, lives in a house of clockwork scorpions, mechanical arms and ornithoper winged backpacks.
None of it works, but it all looks as if could come alive any moment with the flick of a switch.
Fooling people is all part of his craft as a steampunk artist technician.
Steampunk is a genre of art that is, essentially, Victorian-era chic with robots. Steam engines reign supreme and are used to power all sorts of futuristic items - including ships that fly through the air (but still resemble boats), lightning blasting guns and arm guards with typewriters in them.
Chances are, you've seen a lot of steampunk-esque things even if you didn't know what steampunk was. Games like "BioShock" run rampant with the aesthetic and Hollywood has been utilizing the look in movies like "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" (2004) and "Hugo" (2011).
The genre is slowly going mainstream, with more and more fashion lines incorporating the "Victorian with a twist" looks of the culture. Have you been seeing a resurgence of suit vests, top hats, pocket watches and corsets? You have steampunk to thank. In fact, steampunk is slated to be the next big fashion trend of the next two years according to IBM.
Steampunk creator Thomas Willeford, owner of Brute Force Studios in Harrisburg. Willeford wears his Mark I Professor Grimmelore superior replacement arm. 03/29/2013 Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com
The midstate is even getting it's own steampunk event this weekend. Steampunk at Gettysburg: Film, Art and Music Festival began on March 29 and continues until March 31 at the Wyndham Hotel in Gettysburg. It's the first one - but organizer James Gallagher said it would definitely not be the last.
Willeford will be signing copies of his book "Steampunk Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos: A Maker's Guide to Creating Modern Artifacts" at the festival. Willeford is a steampunk celebrity in his own right, as he helped costume Nathan Fillion in a steampunk episode of ABC's "Castle." His creations are so popular he's able to make a living as a professional steampunk artist by selling all manner of clothing and gadgets.
He lives in Harrisburg, which may seem like an odd abode for a steampunk creator. But for Willeford it makes perfect sense.
"This is an incredible place to make things," he said. "The leather factory, a place called Tandy Leather Factory, is two miles that way. There's an international airport eight minutes away. The UPS shipping hub for central Pennsylvania is a mile and a half away. If I want stock brass there's a metals place down the street."
"I couldn't have asked for a better place to make things," he said.
Willeford is a jack of all trades with degrees in physics, history and art. "I don't have any other qualifications for anything other than being a steampunk artist," he said laughing.
He mixes that knowledge and combines it with experience in metal work, plastics and painting to craft his unique art and costume pieces.
There's one rule he abides by in all his creations - each has to look real.
"The idea is when people look at anything I make, they're supposed to be like, 'Does that work?'" Willeford said. "If they don't ask that question, I feel like it's a failure."
Steampunk creator Thomas Willeford, owner of Brute Force Studios in Harrisburg, in a workshop area. 03/29/2013 Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com
Gauges, gears and pistons all play a part in multiple pieces Willeford makes. He mines material from thrift stores and flea markets, hoarding bins of broken pocket watches, antique fire extinguishers and wooden cuckoo clocks.
"To be a really successful steampunk artist you have to have a lot of junk," he said.
What may be junk when entering Willeford's house never leaves it that way - especially if it makes its way down to his basement laboratory. There, he transforms everything he acquires. Broken clocks, in particular, often undergo a metamorphosis.
"I'm the death of clocks," Willeford said. "Clocks are terrified of me. They want to work around me because they know what happens if they don't work: they come down here [to the basement], and nothing ever comes down here and comes back up looking the same."
A pocket watch, for example, can become many different things – part of a pair of goggles or a crafty thumb drive holder.
The things Willeford stores in his basement (including scores of gears and gauges) aren't placed haphazardly. Willeford thinks the biomechanics through to ensure that a piston on a mechanical arm is placed in the right location for maximum movement and strength. "I have to be technically right," he said. "I want to fool the eye into make it look real."
He also adds a touch of danger to his work. A gauge on a mechanical arm was broken so it was permanently in the red zone. "Every bit of mad science should also be dangerous to whoever uses it," Willeford reasoned. "It should look like it's going to [explode] any minute."
That kind of fun spirit pervades all of his creations and his home itself. In one room he has a giant switch – think of the switch Dr. Frankenstein pulls to bring his monster to life. Willeford and his assistants often put major project names above the switch and then shout, "Throw the switch!" just to commemorate the occasion.
"Every mad scientist has to have a giant knife switch," he said with a grin. "You can't just not have one."
IF YOU GO: To see Willeford and some of his creations visit www.bruteforceleather.com or meet him at the Steampunk at Gettysburg: Film, Art and Music Festival at the Gettysburg Wyndham Hotel, 95 Presidential Circle, Gettysburg. The festival runs 11 a.m.-1 a.m. March 30 and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. March 31. Tickets are $50 for the weekend, $40 for just March 30 and $30 for just March 31. For more information visit www.steampunkatgettysburg.com.