Steampunk: Just being splendid

Copper Cogs and Corsets members are (from left) Alex, Shirley, Lizzette, Martin, Joe-Joe, Faith and Steampunk Sally. PICTURE / PAUL BROOKS

At the Dazzle Ball this Saturday at the Wanganui Racecourse, there will be a large Steampunk contingent, many from the group called Copper Cogs and Corsets.

And what will they be doing?
"Just being splendid," says Lizzette Britton. "It's an opportunity to show off our best costumes, and because it's Whanganui, this is our base."

Copper Cogs and Corsets is a working Steampunk group, the largest in Whanganui. Their combined skills are diverse enough to enable them to create costumes and props for any Steampunk occasion.
To do that work they have a Steampunk space – a huge shed they call The Hangar – in which they have work tables, sewing machines and all the raw materials needed for their creativity.

Bunting spans the ceiling — it's made from g-strings...There is also a kitchen, a caravan and, in pride of place, a replica of the famous movie prop time machine of HG Wells.
"That was our float we used for the Christmas parade and we made it totally out of scrap and recycled stuff," says Lizzette. "The Dazzle Ball organisers want us to take it to the ball at the racecourse as a prop.
They prowl op shops, forever in search of "junk" they can upcycle into Steampunk.
"We do a lot of workshops. That's our main thing, helping other people who want to do Steampunk. We help make their costumes."

The shed was busy with inspired inventive activity as people employed their specialist skills.
"Faith is a really great sewer. She brought spare fabric today and if anybody new comes along they can borrow a pattern, and I brought a spare sewing machine along … everybody shares their knowledge. At the moment we're making outfits for the Dazzle Ball."

Martin drives over from Palmerston North to the workshops. Alex needed repairs to his cravat — the stone had become detached. Joe-Joe was busy creating hats. Henry, from Marton, was helping out.
"We have a couple of people from Taranaki coming over for the Dazzle Ball," says Lizzette. "We're getting people from other groups taking part in our workshops. On any odd day you don't know who's going to be here."
"Some of us are specialised makers and some are more general," says Faith.
Faith is an upholsterer and makes her own corsets so she can run corset-making workshops. Martin will be running teapot racing workshops. It was Martin who wired up the time machine. Joe-Joe's forte is hats so she can show people how to make spectacular toppers out of foam yoga mats.
"Her hats are stunning," says Shirley. "If someone doesn't know how to do something you can guarantee that someone else does." Faith wants to share her skills.
"I will make a seamster out of this boy [Alex] if it's the last thing I do, and it may well be!" The group needs to recruit an electrician.

Throughout the Vintage Weekend the group will be mingling informally with the crowds, displaying their finery and giving out information about Steampunk.
Everybody chooses a Steampunk persona: Joe-Joe is Lady Far-Too-Important-For-A-First-Name Kraken.
"I'm a morphing jewel thief," she says. "I turn into a kraken, slither over rooftops and steal your jewels."
Faith is Violet Pearl, Pan-Dimensional Maker of Marvellous Things — it's complicated. Martin is Professor Arcane Esq, purveyor and destroyer of teapots; Alex is Lord Venom, Genius Mastermind and Manipulator of all other Steampunk Villains. Shirley needs an alter-ego.

Designing and making the time machine float took a few months and the group has other activities lined up throughout the year.
"We're taking part in the Hot Rod Show in April, giving a teapot racing demonstration." Some of the group also travel to big Steampunk events in Thames and Oamaru. Also on the calendar is a vintage event next month in Taranaki, a ball in Palmerston North and a Steampunk event in Hobbiton in May.
"We're always working on our next costume and our next event," says Lizzette.

This month Copper Cogs and Corsets starts planning their float for the Christmas parade.
"We won best costumes for the second year in a row, but we didn't win best float, so we have to do another one," says Lizzette. Whatever it is, they will make sure it is amazing.