Liz OhanesianCheck out more images from The League of S.T.E.A.M.'s event “An Evening with the Unfamiliar” in Shannon Cottrell's photo gallery.
Over the past year, we've run into the members of The League of S.T.E.A.M. at a variety of different events, including Comic-Con, Labyrinth of Jareth and Pyrate Daze. The L.A.-based group creates an interactive steampunk experience with elaborate, DIY props and costumes and lots of good humor. Sunday night, the League took over Renee's Courtyard Cafe in Santa Monica for this month's edition of the venue's Fleeting Projects art shows.
“An Evening with the Unfamiliar: Scientific Investigations of Paranormal Oddities” was part art installation, part performance and part party. Songs from bands like Dresden Dolls and Abney Park filtered through the venue as a hefty crowd of people, some dressed in steampunk finery, wormed their way through the cafes several rooms. In the corner of one room, we caught a young man covering Kate Bush's song “Hounds of Love” on an acoustic guitar as a small crowd joined him. In another room, the League's video adventures, ranging from finding a phantom monkey at the zoo to vampire slaying at the premiere of New Moon, played on a large screen. Since the League is committed to capturing ghosts, vampires and zombies of a Victorian nature, members of the group wandered through the venue, imploring the crowd to help them on their search. The pesky creatures, though, have a knack of eluding the League.
Credit: Shannon Cottrell
The group's projects, ranging from costume sketches to fully-functional ghost-hunting devices, were all on display. In the case of the “inventions,” members of The League of S.T.E.A.M. were on hand for demonstrations. Below, we spotlight a few of their creations.
The R.O.S.E.
Credit: Shannon Cottrell
The R.O.S.E. is The League of S.T.E.A.M.'s secret weapon. Part reanimated human, part clockwork machine, she can handle situations too dangerous for the ghost hunters. She also likes to dance. R.O.S.E. operates via a punch card that is slipped into her backpack.
The Falsities and Anomalies Detector
Credit: Shannon Cottrell
This is a newer addition to the League's arsenal. Participants sit down and look into the machine as they answer questions asked by League co-founder Crackitus Potts. Afterwards, he can discern whether or not you're telling the truth.
Electronic Voice Phenomena Recorder
Credit: Shannon Cottrell
As the story goes, this was a top secret project of Edison Industries that League member JR, apparently a former disciple of the inventor, took and improved. It's intent is to detect and amplify the white noise that exists is haunted environments.
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