Victoria Steam Exposition III April 20-22, 2012 . The Empress Hotel

Victoria Steam Expo the Third.

2012-01-29T17:01:00.000-08:00

“Amongst all the beautiful places in the world, and I think I have seen the most beautiful of them, Victoria ranks the highest.” – Rudyard Kipling, 1889

Kipling was the paragon of the Victorian adventure-storyteller, so how fitting that this year's Victoria Steam Exposition returns to the magnificent 1904 granite palace of the Empress Hotel (In the Kipling Room, no less), a monument to the exuberance of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Its endless panelling, cut glass, brass sconces and chateaux rooflines lend the perfect backdrop to absinthe-inspired imaginings of time-travel and airship pirates. A National Historic Site, The Empress has hosted kings and queens, smugglers and inventors, explorers, artists, and Kipling himself.

The show's literary headliners this year are Hugo Award winner Ann Vandermeer, and The Steampunk Bible's Hugo and Nebula nominee Jeff Vandermeer; Abney Park's Kristina Erickson and Captain Robert Brown, author of The Wrath of Fate. Our featured artist is Ian Finch Field, who's incredible leather and brass creations have been featured in 1000 Steampunk Creations and international music videos.

The $50 weekend pass gives you access both Saturday and Sunday to steampunk jewelers, tinkerers, corsetieres, milliners, leather and glassworkers, artisans and anachronists. Additionally there are continuous panel discussions on costuming, history, literary readings, and prop-making. Your weekend pass also admits you to the Saturday Evening Steampunk Cabaret Burlesque, a dance party to the haunted gypsy folk antics of Tarran the Tailor and the boisterous Bučan Bučan.

The Friday Night Absinthe Tasting and History Presentation is at the Union Club, a private (formerly gentlemen-only) institution founded in 1879, and still bears the wingbacked-leather-chair atmosphere as in its founding year. Visitors can easily imagine the wager which began Around the World in 80 Days being placed in exactly this sort of environment. Tickets are an additional $50 for Friday evening's festivities, which includes a flight of three absinthes, a history lecture on its culture and appreciation, and a tour of the club's magnificent 1884 architecture.

Not your typical "con" or convention, the Dominion of Canada's premiere steampunk event, VSE III is more intimate; a living art-show with evocative venues, and more oriented around conversation and sharing in an authentic Victorian atmosphere.

Tickets are now available for the all-inclusive Weekend Pass ($50).

*Please note: Children under 13 are free when accompanied by a ticketed adult and you must be 18+ to attend the Cabaret Burlesque.

Victoria Steam Exposition Emporium of Curiosities!

2012-01-29T13:00:00.000-08:00

Sponsored by The Steampunk Revue, A visual curation of Steampunk, Victoriana, and the Pretty: The Emporium of Curiosities!

What it is:

A retail selection of fine things, one-of-kinds, from merchants who may not have the inventory to support their own vendor table.

Our artists have always exhibited at no charge – but we've asked for any sales to be completed after the end of the show. Some artisans produce pieces in small volume, and wish to have them for sale. Hence, The Emporium of Curiosities.

How it works:

Accepted suppliers pay a $30 display fee, and keep 60% of the retail price of goods sold.

How do I apply?

Email submissions (good-quality photos or links to your website with examples) to zandra@zandra.ca. Tell us about your work. how is it made. price point etc...

If your work is accepted, we will work with you regarding stock quantities and will require a finite list of items complete with prices for sale, by April the 3rd, 2012.

You must either drop off items the day before the Expo or if you are not able to attend please make sure that items are shipped well in advance so that they arrive in time. *Please indicate in your email where you are located on the planet and if you will be able to attend the expo or not.

Costs upon acceptance:

$30 Emporium Display Fee

60% commission of all sold items (ie. Your item is priced at $30, you get $18, the Emporium gets $12)

Besides the $30 display fee you only pay for what is sold.

After sales are tallied at the end of the show you will be paid your portion of sales and items not sold, will be returned to you at that time.

Things to consider:

Not everyone who applies will be accepted. We need to ensure that your items do not compete with others in the Emporium or compete with our other vendors. Price point will also be considered.

Large items will most likely not be accepted due to space limitations, but may be considered as an art installation if appropriate. Please email us to discuss.

Please email submissions to Steampunk Revue for consideration.

CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST: STEAMPUNK BURLESQUE PERFORMER

2012-01-27T14:48:00.000-08:00

We have a slot for one burlesque performer to do 2 x 5 minute acts for the Victoria Steam Expo at the Empress Hotel, April 21st. This is our third year, and burlesque has always been a highlight of our Saturday Night Cabaret.

Please send rates and rider to jordan@jordanstratford.com

Vendor Applications for 2012 Show

2011-11-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

Vendors are reserving an 8 x 8 foot space at Victoria Steam Expo III at the Empress Hotel, April 21-22 2012 . The space includes an 8’ table if desired, 2 chairs, and 2 weekend passes to the show.

Vendor space is $400, with a 50% deposit required upon application acceptance (2011) and balance before February 1, 2012 for maximum marketing exposure. Space is limited, and priority is given to those vendors who have helped build the success of the show in the past. Not all vendors who apply to exhibit can be accommodated and unfortunately due to venue constraints we cannot offer refunds.

Set up time is 90 minutes before doors open on Saturday morning. Volunteers are on hand to assist you in transporting displays and goods. Security will likewise be on hand, including overnight security, but all property is the sole responsibility of the vendor. The producers are not responsible for lost, damaged or stolen merchandise.

Vendors should prepare to drape or otherwise secure their tables for the Saturday evening cabaret. Cash or other small valuables should never be left unattended, even if the table is draped. There has never been an incident or cause for concern at one of our events, but this is just common sense.

Our 2010 show had 350 guests, and the 2011 show was limited to 250 due to the smaller venue but we exceeded that with 400+. For 2012 we’re anticipating over 400 attendees.

Oh, and it’s really fun. You know those boring events when you’re stuck in a hallway or off in a corner shackled to your table and miss all the good stuff? This is not that. Vendors are mixed in with the art and presentations and panels. And there’s a bar.

Please email samples of your work and price point to Jordan Stratford

Please do pardon us whilst we renovate for upcoming show.

2011-10-27T16:08:00.001-07:00

Thank you. You're terribly kind.

Victoria Steam Expo III: April 20-22 at The Empress Hotel

2011-10-27T15:26:00.001-07:00

The Empress Strikes Back!

We're back at the magnificent Fairmont Empress for VSE III – our third year of Canada's premiere celebration of steampunk art and culture.

Programming is shaping up, but here's what we can tell you so far:

Where: Fairmont Empress
When: April 20-22 2012
Who: Hugo Award winner Ann Vandermeer and World Fantasy Award winner and Hugo and Nebula nominee Jeff Vandermeer, of The Thackery T Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities, The Steampunk Bible and many other works
How Much: Weekend Pass $50, Children under 14 free with one paying adult – tickets on sale now!

We're firming up other appearances and our musical guests for our annual Steampunk Cabaret Burlesque evening (tickets sold separately). By popular demand, we'll do another absinthe-tasting and presentation, and the whole show will be more biggerer than in years past!

Here's to a new world of gods and monsters...

Victoria Steam Exposition II

2011-09-28T17:41:00.001-07:00

Victoria Steam Exposition, a group on Flickr.

Short Video of VSE II by CVV, Thank You!

2011-09-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

Steampunk Culture at the Castle from CultureVultureVictoria on Vimeo.

VSE II - September 24th & 25th, 2011 at Craigdarroch Castle.

2011-09-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

Steampunk is the collision of history, technology, imagination, and attitude. Nineteenth-century sensibilities with impossible Jules-Verne-inspired technology. Teak-panelled computers, corsets and jetpacks, top hats and rayguns.

September 24th and 25th, 2011, for the second year in a row, Victoria, British Columbia, will host an art-happening of steampunk art, tech, fashion, music, architecture, story, film and food.

This year's Victoria Steam Exposition is hosted by the magnificent 1890 mad-scientist lair of Craigdarroch Castle, a monument to the exuberance of the Victorian age. Its endless panelling, brass speaking-tubes and soaring spires with widow's-walks lend the perfect backdrop to absinthe-inspired imaginings of time-travel and airship pirates. The show's celebrity authors include Kaja and Phil Foglio, whose illustrative work and storytelling are legendary among comics fans and gamers.

The $40 weekend pass gives you access to the castle and its permanent collections, as well as steampunk jewelers, tinkers, corsetieres, milliners, leather and glassworkers, artisans and anachronists. Additionally there are continuous panel discussions on costuming, history, literary readings, and prop-making.

Headlining the Saturday evening event is San Francisco's glam-noir siren Jill Tracy, who will conduct a seance communing with the spirits not of the departed, but of the castle's nineteenth-century Steinway pianos. Burlesque dancers and gypsy folk music will intertwine with tattoo artists, brass goggles, and mad contraptions. The cabaret evening is included in the weekend price, although guests may be expected to stand given the constraints of the architecture.

Sunday features a Victorian picnic on the castle's lawns, complete with period refreshments, entertainment, and a children's costume contest.

Not your typical "con" or convention, Canada's premiere steampunk event, VSE II is more intimate; a living art-show with evocative venues, and more oriented around conversation and sharing in an authentic Victorian atmosphere.

Tickets are now available for the all-inclusive Weekend Pass ($40).

*Please note: Children under 13 are free when accompanied by a ticketed adult and you must be 18+ to attend the Cabaret Burlesque.

Advance Ticket Sales Closed - But Door Tickets are a YES

2011-09-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

Due to logistics, we've had to close advanced sales for tickets. But fear not! Tickets (in the form of rather spiffy genuine authentic imitation-metallic wrist-bands) will be available for CASH ONLY at the VSE II Reception at the Hotel Rialto tomorrow night, AND at the Castle door starting at 11-ish AM Saturday (again on a CASH ONLY basis).

If you've already purchased your ticket, your foresight utterly trounces my own, and my hat off to you sir or madame or steam-powered automaton! Here's how this works:

On Saturday morning, proceed past the port-cochere for day tickets (90 minutes only, no in-and-out-priveleges, no cabaret) and into the foyer to the Reception table. Your name will be on the will-call list, a term here meaning "Honey, I think this is a show biz term and I don't think the attendees will know what it means" which is followed by an "Of course everyone knows what it means or they would have said something by now." Anyway that's the list you're on. And your ticket will consist of a wristband that you must never, ever remove upon your very peril, sir or madame or steam-powered automaton.

Your wristband allows you to dwell in the castle at some leisure, come and go as you please throughout the duration of the event (and possibly longer if you are able to overcome the security. I've taken their measure and my wager in this matter is entirely your favour – unless and until the constabulary is called upon. But I digress) AND permits your admission to the delicious and indulgent Saturday night cabaret – which I am compelled to again stress is a stand-up wander-around event and not a sit-down and watch sort of affair.

Are day-tickets available?

No.

Are day-tickets available?

No. Honestly.

Are day-tickets available?

Fine. You may, at the port-cochere, purchase a 90 minute no-in-and-out-privileges no-cabaret ticket from the Castle itself. These tickets are for a castle-visit only. But day-tickets for the event per se are not available.

I'm terribly confused.

As am I. Therefore I'm quite likely the source of your confusion, and I shall be on hand personally to delegate your concern or query to someone less confused than myself, while I attend to an urgent matter at the bar, and I apologize for the contagion of intellectual discombobulation. I have no-one to blame but myself. And my mother. And my archnemesis, the fiend.

Music by Sepiachord

2011-09-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

Between presentations, we'll have music by artists distributed by long-time Steampunk champions Sepiachord. Help support this amazing indie label by shopping here.

The Fabulous... Miss... Rosie... Bitts!

2011-09-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

Back by popular demand, Victoria's libidinous ecdysiast Miss Rosie Bitts will be returning to the Victoria Steam Exposition's Saturday Evening Cabaret Burlesque. Her electrifying routine at last year's Exposition proved that Steampunk isn't always about what you are wearing.

Named a “Notable Canadian Woman” by the National Post, Rosie has performed what has been called “The sexiest burlesque I’ve ever seen” in Canada, and the U. S. She is the head of “Best Bitts Productions” and regularly produces her popular shows “The Bitts of Tease Cabaret” and “Brand New Boobies” as well as her series of classes “Learn to Love Your Jiggly Bitts” and “Gettin Posie with Rosie”.

“If you go to see a burlesque show by Miss Rosie Bitts, you get all the very best that the genre has to offer. With her itty-bitty girl face and voice that blends so very well with elegantly bawdy dance numbers, she offers what is quintessential to the art of strip tease . .. the tease. Bitts combines well-choreographed dance moves, fantasy stage setting and costuming with quirky and compelling music. And even though the acts are sometimes almost bare-bones staging, that naughty, fun, risque and sensual atmosphere never fails. This is burlesque as it should be – it’s just dirty enough to be provocative without ever making you feel like you need a shower afterwards.”
–  Lynn Welburn- Nanaimo Daily News

“Rosie Bitts strolls, struts, and strips with retro charm and true panache. She’s the real deal and the whole package – a smart performer with a killer routine.” 
– Award Winning Author Cherie Priest

“Her performance was ideal… alluring…. aesthetically pitch-perfect” 
– Jordan Statford, Impresario, Victoria Steam Expo

Victoria Steam Exposition: Frequently Asked Questions

2011-08-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

Well, alright, some of these haven't been asked at all, let alone frequently. But they might be.

Visiting an 1890 castle is not dissimilar to visiting an 1890 person. Imagine having tea with your great-great-grandma. There are rules about such things.

The first, most obvious, and prevalent rule is of course "DO NOT DAMAGE YOUR GREAT-GREAT GRANDMA." Don't do anything or wear anything that will poke her or stab her or scratch her. She's 121 years old, she's fragile, and she'll break.

That means stilleto heels that could stab her are out. Backpack contraptions that could inadvertently scratch the woodwork are out. Fairy wings that can clear off a shelf while you turn around are out. Projecting buckles. Parasol tips. If it's sticking out of you and you can't see it or control it, don't wear it.

[That being said, if you have something outlandish and articulated and fiendishly dangerous that you want to show off; bring it! We'll do photo ops on the castle grounds. Just don't bring it inside.]

Don't scare your great-great-grandmother. If you inappropriately lean over the display rails, or touch things, she'll scream. ALARMS WILL SOUND. You might want to stroke the velvet or poke the fireplace or pick-up the knick-knack, but that's highly improper and she'll ask you to leave. There are 7,000 irreplaceable artifacts in her collection, and they're not to be rudely prodded. That's just courtesy.

We're in this amazing heritage space as guests, and it's an incredible privilege to hold this event here. Please don't make us into the costume police; think ahead: Is this cumbersome? Pokey scratchy stabby? If I nicked the bannister with it going up the stairs, how would I forgive myself? This is no drywall-wonder suburban con motel. This is a Victorian castle. We're all in this together to preserve and appreciate this treasure.

Costuming:
Do I have to dress up?

Of course not. We were ASTONISHED last year when a little over half our attendees chose to come in Steampunk attire. Lots of people came and saw the art and poked around and asked questions and attended the sessions in jeans and sneakers. You're perfectly welcome, and it's just fine, honestly.

Costuming Tip:
There are exactly eleventy bajillion and four sites on the internet to help you get started into dressing like an airship pirate / mad scientist / proper-Victorian-gentleman-or-lady-after-the-"incident", but I'll leave you with a paraphrase of Abney Park's Captain Robert: “Vintage military cuts, antique jewelry and fittings, brown instead of black, bronze instead of silver”. Vests, pocket watches and cyborg accoutrements, goggles and jetpacks, top hats and bowlers, corsets and rayguns. The "punk" in steampunk means defining your own style, and there's no way to get it wrong. Here's Diana's guide to getting started.

Standing Up:
Very very little opportunity to sit down. Come prepared to be standing up and climbing stairs without predictable respite.

Photography:

Yes, there'll be a photobooth at the show. Yes, you can take your own pictures. Flash is fine.

Wheelchair / Stroller Access:

Unfortunately, the morés of the Victorian era are reflected in the architecture. There's just no reasonable way to accommodate those who have trouble with stairs. It's an 1890 castle. They didn't think about such things. Not much we can do there.

Food and Beverage:

The castle will be running a bar at the event, and food is served outside by way of History Bites: inexpensive canapés from historic menus of the Victorian period. There really are no restaurants within easy walking distance. No outside food or beverage is allowed in the castle.

Transportation/Parking:

The castle is 1.7 km (exactly one mile) from the Hotel Rialto in downtown Victoria, usually under a $10 cab ride or a $2.50 bus ride. Parking at the castle is extremely limited. The address to the Castle is 1050 Joan Crescent and you can download directions here.

We are coordinating a Trolley to bring guests back and forth from the hotel to the Castle over the weekend. A weekend pass is $10 and will be available for purchase at the Hotel's welcome reception Friday September 23rd 8ish pm. This is an excellent deal as it will allow you make several trips back and forth on Saturday (day and evening) and cover your trips on Sunday too. You will need this pass to take advantage of this offer.

Children:

Of course supervised children are welcome, and a child under 13 is free when accompanied by one paying adult. Be mindful that the event is in a museum, where the displays are fragile and valuable, and that the architecture is at times steep, sharp, lethal, and out to get you. The reason why Victorian children never ran indoors was purely Darwinian - the bouncy ones lost limbs early on.

We have on Sunday a children's costume contest and a supervised children's craft activity where kids can make costume bits or contraptions of all sorts. This is free, but there'll be a tip jar for the beleagured craftmistress.

Admission & Day Tickets:

As a nod to Victorian machinations, we've decided to make the admission needlessly complicated.

The $40 weekend pass includes unlimited (re-)admission and Saturday evening's festivities.

The castle is open during the event, as it always is, for a $13.75 admission (children are $5). However this gives you a 90-minute visit, NO in-and-out priveleges (if you go for tea you can't come back in), and of course it does not include the Saturday night cabaret event.

When you arrive at the event, there will be a "will-call" list for those who have pre-paid admission. If there are tickets available at the door, these will be sold at the opening of the show. Be advised that the castle is actually a small venue, and that space is limited – the only way to ensure attendance is to purchase your ticket in advance! Contact us directly if you need arrangements (ie don't want to purchase online).

*Also if tickets remain, they will be available for purchase at the Welcome Reception at the Hotel Rialto Friday, September 23rd. 8ish pm.

Cabaret Tickets:

Due to space constraints, we are unable to sell tickets for the cabaret only.

Show Schedule

2011-08-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

*Schedule is purely a work of fevered imagination and in no ways is to be construed as accurate, feasible, reliable or in accordance with the laws of Nature.

Friday, September 23

8:00 PM -12:00
Reception Party at the Rialto

*This is a moveable feast, as the Rialto party can accommodate only 30 people at a time. Best to make reservations at Veneto Lounge.

Saturday, September 24

10:00 AM
Doors open

11:00 AM
Steampunk Intro, Jordan Stratford

11:30-2:30 (ish)
Food will be on-site in the form of History Bites, a series of canapes from period menus of historic Victorian landmarks.

12:00
Artist Q&A, Thin Gypsy Thief

1:00 PM
Persona and World Building, Astra Crompton

2:00 PM
Canadian Steampunk , Lee Ann Farruga

3:00 PM
Prop Buidling, Adam Smith

4:00 PM
Reading from Agatha H and the Airship City, Phil & Kaja Foglio

5:00 PM
Corset Tying (and untying!), Melanie Talkington

6:00 - 8:00 PM
Break

8:00 PM- 12:00
Cabaret Burlesque featuring Jill Tracy &
The Fabulous Miss Rosie Bitts

Sunday, September 25

10:00 AM
Doors open

11:00 AM
Steampunk Chainmail, Joe Klovance

11:30-2:30 (ish)

Food will be on-site in the form of History Bites, a series of canapes from period menus of historic Victorian landmarks.

11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Improbable Inventions Children's Art Lab, Brigid Skelton

12:00
Steampunk & the Occult, Jordan Stratford

2:00 PM
Children's Costume Contest

3:00 PM
Theramin Performance, Eric Reiswig

Vendors For This Year's Expo!

2011-08-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

History Bites: A series of canapés from period menus of historic Victorian landmarks.

VSEII 2011 Show Poster

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Happy 155th Birthday Nikola Tesla!

2011-07-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the birthday of Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) we're having another ticket-draw contraptiomulator, um, thingie! Which is to say, ONE of today's ticket purchases will win an ADDITIONAL ticket for your crewmember, concubine, butler, bodyguard or associate of your choosing. Generosity? Foolhardiness on the part of the Impresario? Or Mad Science? Only the fortunate may discern.

Winner will be announced Monday, July 11th. Click here to get your tickets!

The winner is Rick Van K, Congratulations! Thank you to everyone playing along.

Jill Tracy- The Fine Art of Poisoning

2011-06-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

International Steampunk Day Contest- TODAY!

2011-06-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

We're so inspired by all the great activities happening today that we've decided to hold a little contest too in honour of International Steampunk Day.

Here's the contest, if you buy your tickets for VSEII Online today you will be entered to win the tickets you purchased. The contest closes tonight June the 14th at 10pm (PST) and the winner will be chosen by randomizer and announced the morning of June 15th.

Good luck!

** And the winner of the Contest is Steve Y! Thanks for playing along everyone, this was fun and we'll definitely be doing more contests before the show. **

DELICIOUS EXCESS

2011-06-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

Due to a successful wager with the board of directors of Craigdarroch Castle involving a coal-fired mechanical man, a catapult, and several volunteers who will be truly missed, the Victoria Steam Exposition II is now even better positioned to indulge your steampunk-weekend inclinations.

The $40 weekend pass indeed grants return privileges to the venue, access to all exhibits, vendors and entertainment, but we can now offer the Saturday evening cabaret AT NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE.

Preposterous, you say! Ah, but due to masterful negotiation and certain compromising daguerrotypes in our possession, we can and do indeed make this offer. Your $40 weekend pass now includes the Saturday evening cabaret burlesque featuring San Francisco's glam-noir siren Jill Tracy and other discerning distractions.

Those who have already purchased tickets for both the weekend AND the evening will be offered the opportunity to convert their additional ticket to either an all-inclusive pass or a full refund, whichever they prefer.

For a roster of vendors, entertainers, and what to expect, please view www.victoriasteamexpo.com

Jordan Stratford
Impresario

Schedule - Victoria Steam Exposition

2011-05-14T22:02:00.000-07:00

Tickets Available At The Door!

Saturday Doors Open @10am

PANELS:

Cherie Priest (author Q&A) 12-1pm

Unwoman (Q &A) 2-3pm

Nick Valentino (author Q&A) 4-5pm

Costuming with Astra Crompton 6-7pm

CABARET 8pm (must be 19 to attend)

The Fabulous Miss Rosie Bitts Burlesque

Unwoman

Sunday Doors @11am to 6pm

PANELS:

Steampunk Archetypes with Diana Vick 12-1pm

Film Screening: 2-3pm
Riese
The Anachronism

Film Panel after screening with Nicholas Humphries, Matthew Gordon Long and Jordan Stratford 3-4pm

Steampunk & The Occult with Jordan Stratford 4:30-5:30

*VSE reserves the right to change things slightly if it should be necessary*

Tshirt Artwork now available...

2010-04-27T18:19:00.000-07:00

The much discussed t-shirt artwork is now ready to be seen! Sorry to the V's but the Crew's won this one.

We will have limited stock of these on hand at the show. If you're interested in pre-ordering yours (in your size & colour) it will require prepayment. We'll know the exact cost for the shirts very soon, so drop either of us a line if you're interested in this and we'll get back to you with the details.

Click here to see the artwork!

VSE Overview

2010-02-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

The Overview of the VSE is now ready!

VSE Volunteer Coordinator

2010-02-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

The VSE is in need of a whip smart volunteer coordinator for the upcoming exposition. This is a volunteer position with many perks and not for the faint of heart. Please read the position description and contact either Jordan or Zandra if you're interested.

Volunteer Coordinator

Exhibitors

2009-11-24T16:20:00.001-08:00

Vendors:

Ian Finch Field

Christine Hart

Rad Juli

Lace Embrace Corsetiers

Unwoman

Nick Valentino

Patrick Gallagher

Professor Who

Steamcon

Kaja Folio

Artists:

Kyle Miller

Amanda Quinn

Homeros Gilani

Randie Fiel

Randy Belyk

The Anachronism

Guest of Honour: Cherie Priest

2009-11-24T15:35:00.000-08:00

In the early days of the Civil War, rumors of gold in the frozen Klondike brought hordes of newcomers to the Pacific Northwest. Anxious to compete, Russian prospectors commissioned inventor Leviticus Blue to create a great machine that could mine through Alaska’s ice. Thus was Dr. Blue’s Incredible Bone-Shaking Drill Engine born.

But on its first test run the Boneshaker went terribly awry, destroying several blocks of downtown Seattle and unearthing a subterranean vein of blight gas that turned anyone who breathed it into the living dead.

Now it is sixteen years later, and a wall has been built to enclose the devastated and toxic city. Just beyond it lives Blue’s widow, Briar Wilkes. Life is hard with a ruined reputation and a teenaged boy to support, but she and Ezekiel are managing. Until Ezekiel undertakes a secret crusade to rewrite history.

His quest will take him under the wall and into a city teeming with ravenous undead, air pirates, criminal overlords, and heavily armed refugees. And only Briar can bring him out alive. – B&N

CHERIE PRIEST made her debut with the Eden Moore series of Southern Gothic ghost stories that began with Four and Twenty Blackbirds. She lives in Seattle, Washington.

SteampPunk Cabaret

2009-11-24T15:25:00.000-08:00

Saturday night will see the SteamPunk Cabaret on stage in the Crystal Ballroom. Headlining will be the amazing Unwoman:

Unwoman is a San Francisco-based cellist/singer/composer/producer. She performs solo voice-cello (with or without laptop accompaniment) often in the Bay Area, plays cello with Stripmall Architecture, Jill Tracy, Vernian Process and other acts, and has also toured the US with Voltaire and Rasputina.

Warming up the evening with an original burlesque performance will be the fabulous Miss Rosie Bitts.

Admission to the Cabaret is free with your weekend pass. YOU MUST BE OVER 18 TO ATTEND

VSE Venue: Victoria's Fairmont Empress

2009-11-24T15:24:00.001-08:00

We're delighted to announce we've booked the historic Empress Hotel for this event. The Exposition will be in the Palm Court, a glittering cut glass solar that accommodates 200 people...

and the Crystal Ballroom, a 5000 square-foot cove-ceilinged ballroom in grand Victorian style. This is where the exhibitors, stage, and artwork will be set up.

The venue is unique and palatial, with myriad Hogwartsy nooks and crannies in which to sit and chat....

And while there will be a bar set up in the Palm Court, you may wish to sneak off and enjoy a more intimate drink across the hall...

As the Empress is the official hotel for this event, be sure to mention "Victoria Steam Expo" when you book your room.