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Abstract: ‘Steampunk and the Museum: Exhibition and Collaboration’

This talk will address experiences of the Fabricating Histories exhibition at Discovery Museum, Newcastle (November 2016 to May 2017). Co-curated by Northumbria University, an independent artist curator, and Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums, the exhibition sought to articulate ideas around Neo-Victorianism, steampunk, and the way in which we evaluate and re-present histories and cultures. Some of the challenges experienced related to characterising subcultures for a general audience, who may be encountering such ideas as steampunk for the first time. We sought to generate a narrative which related in part to local history, involving the steampunk community and seeking to identify the imaginative aspects of steampunk culture, whilst at the same time attempting to provide an accessible and educational event.

Short Bio

Claire Nally is a Senior Lecturer in Twentieth-Century English Literature, and researches Irish Studies, Neo-Victorianism, Gender and Subcultures. She arrived at Northumbria University in 2011, following a lectureship at University of Hull, and a research post funded by the Leverhulme Trust. She has published widely on W. B. Yeats and Ireland, popular culture, and especially, subcultures such as burlesque, goth and steampunk. Additionally, with Angela Smith (University of Sunderland), she has co-edited two volumes on gender, as well as the library series ‘Gender and Popular Culture’ for I. B. Tauris. Her current monograph looks at the development of steampunk in literature, film, music, and fashion.