Steampunk Carousels & Infernal Machines

Science Fiction books of the of the Victorian age and the Belle Epoch echo certain themes.

After all, this was the age of Edison and Tesla, of mechanized war. It was an emerging era of shocking scientific theories such as evolution and flight. 19th century science fiction novels chart the course of these shocks with themes of science run amok and strange encounters with monstrosities. Steampunk imagery is generated from works of the fantastic such as Frankenstein, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, War of the Worlds and  The Time Machine.

So, when I first saw The Project of Machines de l’île in Nantes, I felt for a moment that sense of wonder at that strange convergence of science and fantasy, machine and dream. All the beautiful and terrible possibilities of the future exist in these odd mechanisms.

The machines are built in the warehouses of the former shipyards of Nantes, France by François Delarozière and Pierre Orefice who were also inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci’s infernal machines.

And every so often they come alive.

Setting up The Sea Life Carousel

Riding the Sea Life Carousel

The Christmas Carousels of Brussels are also made by the artisans of Nantes

 

The Royal Elephant

 

The Heron Tree

The Hound and the Girl

The Spider