Teslapunk
Encyclopedia
Teslapunk, named for scientist and inventor Nikola Tesla
, refers to fictional narratives or visual styles inspired by 18th, 19th, and early 20th century pioneers of electricity and electrical devices. Like other steampunk
derivatives, these narratives or styles commonly imagine an alternate history where, in the case of Teslapunk, widely available cheap (or free), clean, and often highly portable electrical energy replaces all previous energy sources (such as wood, coal and oil, and the steam engines that were fueled by them), but has yet to be replaced (or is never replaced) by other energy sources itself (such as diesel or atomic power). In some Teslapunk stories, free-energy technologies are largely forgotten in the present day, but only because they were kept secret by some government or other organization that used the technologies to control the masses. (Or to protect the masses, as is the case with Warehouse 13
.)
Items common to Teslapunk include Art Deco
styled ray guns, robots, and rocket ships. The "punk" element in Teslapunk usually emerges as a "free energy", "electronically empowered masses" ethos challenges the "energy scarcity" and "fuel monopoly" ethos that was already fairly well entrenched in the United States by 1900. (See Standard Oil
.)
Visually, Teslapunk shares much in common with Raygun Gothic
.
In a developer video diary, Jose Perez III, lead designer of Dark Void
from Airtight Games
, called the style of their game Teslapunk.
Captain Swing and the Electrical Pirates of Cindery Island by Warren Ellis
is labeled "not steampunk" by the publisher, but called "Teslapunk" by one reviewer linked to Ellis's main publicity page for the book. According to the online magazine Comics Are Evil, "Tesla-punk" is the term Ellis prefers for his Captain Swing series.
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
, refers to fictional narratives or visual styles inspired by 18th, 19th, and early 20th century pioneers of electricity and electrical devices. Like other steampunk
Steampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
derivatives, these narratives or styles commonly imagine an alternate history where, in the case of Teslapunk, widely available cheap (or free), clean, and often highly portable electrical energy replaces all previous energy sources (such as wood, coal and oil, and the steam engines that were fueled by them), but has yet to be replaced (or is never replaced) by other energy sources itself (such as diesel or atomic power). In some Teslapunk stories, free-energy technologies are largely forgotten in the present day, but only because they were kept secret by some government or other organization that used the technologies to control the masses. (Or to protect the masses, as is the case with Warehouse 13
Warehouse 13
Warehouse 13 is an American fantasy television series that premiered on July 7, 2009 on the Syfy network.Executive-produced by Jack Kenny and David Simkins, the dramatic comedy from Universal Media Studios has been described as borrowing much from 1980s television series Friday the 13th: The...
.)
Items common to Teslapunk include Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
styled ray guns, robots, and rocket ships. The "punk" element in Teslapunk usually emerges as a "free energy", "electronically empowered masses" ethos challenges the "energy scarcity" and "fuel monopoly" ethos that was already fairly well entrenched in the United States by 1900. (See Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
.)
Visually, Teslapunk shares much in common with Raygun Gothic
Raygun Gothic
Raygun Gothic is a catchall term for a visual style that incorporates various aspects of the Googie, Streamline Moderne and Art Deco architectural styles when applied to retro-futuristic science fiction environments. Academic Lance Olsen has characterised Raygun Gothic as "a tomorrow that never was"...
.
In a developer video diary, Jose Perez III, lead designer of Dark Void
Dark Void
Dark Void is a video game developed by Airtight Games using the Unreal Engine 3 and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. In the game players must face an alien threat that humanity had previously banished. The game mixes on-foot and mid-air combat...
from Airtight Games
Airtight Games
Airtight Games is an independent video game developer founded in 2004 that is made up of several former members of FASA Studio, Will Vinton Studios and Microsoft, as well as several other studios. The key members include president and creative director Jim Deal, art director Matt Brunner, technical...
, called the style of their game Teslapunk.
Captain Swing and the Electrical Pirates of Cindery Island by Warren Ellis
Warren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
is labeled "not steampunk" by the publisher, but called "Teslapunk" by one reviewer linked to Ellis's main publicity page for the book. According to the online magazine Comics Are Evil, "Tesla-punk" is the term Ellis prefers for his Captain Swing series.