Apparition Abolishers: Technology with a touch of whimsy

The Austin Peay Steampunk University, recently visited by the Apparition Abolishers, will host “The Superfluous Steam Machine: An Exposition of Eccentricity” on July 6 from 5-9- p.m. at APSU ‘s Trahern Gallery,  8th Street, Clarksville. The exhibit includes music by “Fable Cry” and a screening of  Kevin Eslinger’s  short film, “Nickel Children.”  Admission is free and the event is open to the public. The show will also be open on July 7 from 5-9 p.m.

In the Steampunk realm, the question “Whom shall we telegraph?” can be answered in just two words: “Apparition Abolishers!”

The tools of “abolishing” include “fantastical” and whimsical weaponry; every piece is usable in the Steampunk world, and the Apparition Abolishers have created an entire storyline, character bios, and original Steampunk costuming — all of which can be viewed at the seven or eight conventions they attend annually. They’ve even created a remote-controlled robot that is both a character unto himself and a means of carrying some of the heavier weapons.

“Apparition Abolishers” is the brainchild of innovators Chris Lee and Adam Baker, and a crew of  Steampunk cohorts whose business, in part, an extraordinary entanglement of innovation and plain old recycling.It’s a mix of old Victorian and turn of the 20th century industrial technology.

These crafty inventors have a weapon for every occasion and few for which the occasion has yet to be discovered. They brought a bit of their wondrous technology to an attentive audience in Austin Peay State University’s first-in-the-country  Steampunk Sculpture class. To say that they were a hit with students is a gross understatement.

The Apparition Abolishers have a complete characters/storylines to showcase their weaponry; each character bursts into reality with its own personality, backstory, abilities and costuming.

The Characters

Jasper Dunlap(Baker) of New Mexico territory,  descended of earlier settlers,who inherited his family ranch.  After the massacre of his livestock by a “creature,” Dunlap began tracking down what he calls “creatures of darkness .”

Dr. Mortimer J. Torque (Lee), founder of the group, is both inventor and “steamologist,” the man behind many Abolisher inventions,weapons and transport. Torque operates factories and mills that spawn Steamships, motorized carriages, trains, airships and robotics — including Scrappington Hauley.

The character Brassy Galore is a medium who has dealt “with malevolent ghosts her entire life.” And then there’s Sir Quincy Peck, formerly affiliated with the British Royal Army.  Peck  immersed himself in the occult and the ways to defeat supernatural beings.

The Weapons:

Portable Power Packs are worn by the characters Torque and Peck, and carried by their mechanical cohort, Scrappington Hauley. The packs are a crucial component in the Abolisher arsenal, generating steam on demand for other weaponry and equipment. The Abolishers created an “Emeraldic Energy Extrapolator” — the power source for converting water to steam to fuel other weapons.

The Sonic Blunderbuss is Peck’s weapon of choice; it can create a range of dispersal as wide as a shotgun blast to a laser-like pin-point accuracy.

Brassy Galore is never far from her Rusty Koontz, a double-barreled long gun with a strobe imbeded in each of its two barrels. Galore rejected more feminine weapons in favor of this oversized and heavy weapon, which is often toted by the remote-controlled Scrappington Hauley.

Dunlap prefers the smaller hand-held weapons called “Plasma Pistols,” weapons that attacks “both spiritual physical foes with equal ferocity.” To keep from encumbering Jasper with an over-abundance of gear on his back, each pistol carries a miniature version of the Emeraldic Energy Extrapolator, which in turn powers each plasma containment sphere.

Jasper has a special fondness for his plasma pistols, and often can be seen brandishing them with great pride.

The magical mechanical creations also include wings fashioned from, among other re-visioned items, the blades of a ceiling fan. The wearer can extend and fold back the wings, allowing — according to storylines — the wearer to silently glide over its prey and strike.

Lee and Baker began their APSU Steampunk visit with an extended slideshow and lecture, speaking candidly about their business, their magical creations, and their source of materials, which includes everything from stovepipes and flexible hosing to cookwear and plastic test tubes, from recycled fluorescent fixtures to toys from regional toy stores.

“You are only limited by your imagination,” Lee said, noting that he picks up items from yard sales, Goodwill, recycling stores, and even trash. “You never know when something you have in a storage bin will be just the thing you need to make a weapon work.”

Following the lecture, the Steampunk students and guests were allowed to view the gadgets and handle them. Students tried the wings, aimed the guns, examined the construction and technology close up — intrigued one and all by the innovative thinking of Baker and Lee. Lights were dimmed in the studio as each of the weapons were “fired up,” lights flashing and lasers flickering.

In the five weeks that APSU Professor Mike Mitchell has conducted his Steampunk Sculpture Class (The first of its kind for credit at a university), his students have arrived early, stayed late, and generated dozens of creations — many of which will on display at the July 6-7 showing. Many of these pieces will also be exhibited as part of Nashville’s August Art Crawl.

Photos by Christine Anne Piesyk. Poster and sepia portrait of the Abolishers courtesy of Apparition Abolishers.

Tags: Adam Baker, apparition abolishers, Arts, Chris Lee, featured, Steampunk, steampunk weapons

Category: Arts