Mice with spare human ears, super crops, Dolly the Sheep; all very high tech, gene splicing, hand of god type stuff! These are some of the things that spring to my mind when artificial life forms are mentioned!. So when I spied one of creations of Molly ‘Porkshanks’ Friedrich I was fascinated. Made of brass and with its own life support system her creation awaits a birth that sadly never arrives. AE talks to Molly about the Mechanical Womb, musical instruments and some of her views on Steampunk.

 

 

You have only recently entered , judging by your web entries, into the Steampunk ethos. What was your motivation for this, was there a defining moment that placed you on your current creative path?

 

Ethos... interesting choice of words there. Yes, even though I have been working on Steampunk art for about a year and a half now, there was some distance between my interpersonal methods and that of the more genteel end of the Steampunk spectrum. I believe 'braying ass' might be a good term?

 

The beginning of this all? I've been a fan of neo Victorian and anachrotech for most of my life. I have always carried a love for mad science, gear works, and the pipe work aesthetics. So, when I started seeing people like Jake and Datamancer post their work it immediately caught my interest. It wasn't until I was doing research for a project and I stumbled across the Steampunk Magazine site that I decided to take part in it. Magpie and crew offered the usual fare of interviews and DIY articles, but there was also something deeper; an actual ethos as you say it. This was my introduction to the idea that Steampunk stood for something to some of the people involved, and it really excited me how much their take on things matched my own view. I felt like I had finally found a movement I could believe in. And then reality set in. After I had gotten myself all riled up and ready for a movement, I started running headlong into those in the scene who do not share my mad passions, and I suppose you might say I was still following old patterns of behaviour. I engaged people in a confrontational manner, erroneously thinking that I could bash people over the head with ideas and they would somehow magically come around to my way of thinking, ha!

 

I started to feel that most of the scene did not in fact believe as I do, that my loyalty was misplaced. I became discouraged and I disengaged from interacting with Steampunks. I actually fell into a depression of sorts, and took some time off of art to try and figure out where my heart was drawing me.

 

 

Meanwhile, I had come back into contact with the community, and started to see that the ideals that I held value in were indeed growing within a portion of the scene. Of course there will always be those who disagree, but I do feel that Steampunk does have a future, and it is worth investing energy into the movement.

 

I now know that a great part of my frustration was born of my own sense of urgency to set things on a safer path. I very much believe that the healthiest thing anyone can do at this point is to disengage as much as they can from the corporate consumer cycle. It seems like so many people are unwilling to accept changes that will need to happen one way or the other, that I guess I lost my patience and then my mind.

 

This is more than simply artistic expression to me, and it has been for some time now; this is a way of life. The greatest lesson for me in all of this is that you honestly do win more bees with sugar than salt. So, I have been trying to not only lead by example, but also show more respect for those who disagree with me, and to engage them openly and calmly where I may. I am also trying to be a better listener, because I am genuinely interested in getting to know all of the wonderful people who have been giving me such supportive feedback on my recent artistic endeavours!

 

Do you have a personal definition of Steampunk and how do you see yourself within that?

 

I hate the word Steampunk. My personal definition would probably go on too long, because it would encompass a huge range of different theories and aesthetics, not all of them fully compatible. That's one of the best things about it though. It is a mix of science and passion and fantasy that allows for a huge range of interpretations!

 

I prefer my steam a bit arcane, with lots of cyber elements tossed in for punky measure, and I also find the post apocalyptic end to hold enormous potential for here-to-fore unexplored ideas!

 

 

The Mechanical Womb is pretty insane, even macabre, a sideways departure from the jewellery pieces and other items you have created in the past. What was the inspiration and motivation behind its creation?

 

Well, it is my first deeply autobiographical piece. The story that I wrote to accompany it is entirely non-fiction, and it tells most of the story of how I came to build her. This is my first attempt, there will be more, as I hopefully refine to my eventual goal of an interactive clockwork child, although I am hesitant to attempt a more specific prediction than that.

 

You modified a rather nifty looking violin for Nathan of Abney Park, which I believe debuted at Makers Faire 08, were you pleased with the outcome?

 

Mostly! As with the guitar that I also did for Nathaniel, the fact that these are musical instruments complicates the design process immeasurably. When he approached me with the violin, he explained that there were a lot of variables that I had to keep in mind for it remain a functioning instrument. Not the least of which was weight. I would have preferred to hide the electric controllers and batteries inside a rear panel, but they had to be left exposed on the underside because it was already almost too heavy for him to play it comfortably for any significant amount of time. Aside from that, it came out exactly as I envisioned it, and I am very pleased. Its a joy to watch him play it live!

 

 

Any plans on modifying anything larger, a harp perhaps? That would look pretty darn awesome with a whole bunch of nixie tubes firing off down its spine!

 

LOL, fun idea! Alas unless someone is willing to fund such a thing, no nixie tube harps are my immediate future…

 

I was approached by a museum about doing something, and it got me thinking about what sort of dream projects I might create in the realm of musical instruments. I want to move from modifying into authentic fabrication and even experimentation. I want to make a steam powered glass harmonica, or a percussion instrument that uses brass pipe and clockwork driven mechanics. I've had an idea in my head for almost a decade to build an auto player theremin. Sadly these things all take time and cash I am all too short on currently. Hopefully the art show will change some of that?

 

Steampunk has been getting a bit of a backlash recently, what's your opinion on this?

 

I am not sure, one of the things that comes to mind is a bit of wisdom Jake VonSlatt said to me after a bunch of my work started getting on all the blogs last year and some of the negative commentary started frustrating me a bit. He said that any time you begin to spread outside the pre-established fan base, you are reaching a new audience. That means you are interacting with people that have little to no appreciation for your work, and inherently some of them will hate it. But it also follows that you are making new fans out of others, so negative feedback is often a sign of growth. That helped me a lot to hear.

 

 

How would you seek to change those perceptions if at all?

 

I suppose the best revenge is living well... as I detailed earlier I was on a path of confrontation, but I think the best way to change people's minds is to simply demonstrate it. If they don't like the aesthetic, there's not a lot we can do about that, but if it is about the more socio-political aspects, then I have witnessed people changing their mindset on that just by seeing how I live and becoming curious about it.

 

It will never appeal to everyone, and that's fine. I just live comfortably knowing that should the unspeakable come to pass, it will affect my family later and far less than most. If everything remains as it is then I am still happy, because I enjoy my lifestyle quite a bit!

 

Soon you will be exhibiting, along with several other Steampunk creative types, at Anachrotechnofetishism in Seattle, can you tell us a little about the forth coming show?

 

But of course! The show began from my desire to bring my work to new audiences. I have never had a gallery show before, so I approached my friend Libby Bulloff because she has far more experience than I with this sort of thing. While we talked, we soon came up with the idea to have an extravaganza of the people who most inspired us within the anachrotech style. Against all odds, within about 48 hours we got almost everyone we wanted in the show. Libby and I, like many, had been feeling like something was being lost slowly in this aesthetic that we hold so dear to our hearts. That it had lost its edge... that spark that drew us together in the first place. We are hoping to fan the flames of inspiration and shine a spotlight back on the edge of our art.

 

Is there anything fans of Porkshanks should keep an eye out for in the future, are there new builds or jewellery on the way?

 

I have so many ideas, I never know what project is going take over my brain at any given moment... but I am feeling movement in a new direction clothing-wise. Not away from what I've been doing so far, but perhaps a deeper and more personal exploration of my vision. Its not really like anything I've seen before, but its always been in my head as long as I can think back, so I don't know how to explain it. And I am hoping to build a recumbent/penny farthing/ trike thing.

 

Is there anything you would like to add?

 

1+1=3 XD

 

 

If you would like to find out more about Porkshanks check out the following clicks…

 

 

Deviantart Etsy Flickr Live Journal