Maybe not literally STEAM PUNK, but it could be taking the most positive visual attributes of the trend: blatant functionality mixed with a very old fashioned material refinement.
I remember a line from Sean Lenon in an old radio interview, discussing Victorian influence on his latest album. He described the era as a time of metal and leather, yet people were making strides in science, learning that the world they’ve always known is not what it seems.
Maybe not a lot has changed since then. We live with these sci fi like tools but still live within piles of bricks and drywall and are pulled along by exhaust spewing engines.
Outside of the trend being fetishized, I think it wants to convey how far we’ve come along and how far we have to go.
@yo that Samsung piece reminds me of this tuner I came across last week. You can see the glowing tubes reflected in the mirror, and you could even smell them burning. It was terrifically warm experience, both literally and figuratively.
I understand why the article was so skeptical, but I’ll be happy if we could bring some of that raw human/tech interaction into the product sphere.
