The Imaginarium – A Sequential 150 Image Fine Art Story

My name is Gary Nicholls and I am a Conceptual Photographic Artist Storyteller. To that end, I am always looking for the unusual, the fantastic, the inspiring. ‘The Imaginarium’ tells an intricate, fantastical, dark but ultimately beautiful steampunk themed story through the unique medium of fine art images. This is not a graphic novel, it is a story in the same way that William Hogarth created his sequential art stories. My created ‘world’ is therefore Dark Dickensian Steampunk. In Victorian times an Imaginarium was a term used for the fairground attractions that formed a museum of wonder, for example, ‘The Bearded Lady’, or ‘The Elephant Man’. I wanted my art to provoke comment, even if you don’t like it, the fact that you will say “I don’t like that” means it has initiated a reaction. This was the same with the Victorian Imaginarium’s which often had a dark sinister edge. Dickens tales were not pleasant, but always had a moral ending, which is true of my story.

The first in the Imaginarium Trilogy called ‘Eva’s story’ has been very organic in its development. The plot is convoluted with very strong characters. In a Steampunk world of wickedness, betrayal, murder and greed, one lost soul stands out as Eva’s saviour. Eva Elizabeth Lovelace was born into a North of England workhouse, her mother dying in childbirth. After working all hours in the Mill, she is sold to work in a bordello at a young age, as a skivvy. When older, she becomes an Adventuress, working for a domineering, wicked madam, Regina Von Black. Treated badly, she takes to the bottle and her life spirals out of control.

Dr William Percival Stockdale is a wealthy doctor and inventor. His wife Elise has died of consumption and he struggles to live without her love. After being saved by Chrisalisia the Elven Queen he roams the streets at night helping the sick and the poor. On one such outing he sees Eva and hatches a plan to save her using a device he invents called the Necessitti

The owners of the workhouse Eva grew up in, (the Abernathy’s), constant arguing lead to Captain Abernathy meeting a stranger in an inn, who seeks answers to questions about Eva. This stranger appears throughout the story, and is an integral part of Book 1. An object linked to Eva’s secret past is kept in a box held by Bella Donna Abernathy and it is this that the stranger seeks.

The Abernathy’s have an erstwhile son, Warren who steals all their money to gamble it away, leaving them broke and ruined. Warren is linked to Eva, Captain Abernathy linked to Dr William, Lady Abernathy linked to Eva, and Eva linked to the stranger.

The death of Regina Von Blacks twin sister causes a spiral of revenge culminating in her mother, Corvus the witch, calling upon her powers to turn Regina into an all powerful Nemesis, hell bent on Eva and Dr William’s destruction and ultimate powerful domination.

The story is one of revenge, murder and greed. It has it all, a hero and heroine, time travelling steampunk angels, a steampunk witch, a nemesis, an elven queen, a rogue and cad, a bully, a murdering sly old fox, an enigmatic stranger, a gun toting drunk, a social climber, a bordello, harlots and adventuresses, toffs, landed gentry, greedy gang leader and a flame throwing pawnbroker to name but a few!

From wickedness, treachery, secrets and murder, the plot twists and turns, each character having their own story that builds into the final sections where all is revealed. With 36 characters, no main character in the story is who they seem, each having a past that is about to catch up with them. Every person in the story is a genuine steampunk, in real life and there are 36 main characters with 65 extras.

Exhibitions

I exhibit my work at MCM Comic Cons in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. I have had a London exhibition in May 2014; I have had 3 pictures in a gallery in New York and one of my images has been part of an exhibition in the Louvre. My prints are on large scale Aluminium sheets. The reason I have chosen only to offer metal prints is because the luminosity of works by painters such as Rembrandt and Caravaggio, was due to these painters’ practice of applying multiple, thin layers of paint to their canvases. In the same way, the layers of dyes infused into the thick, translucent coating on the aluminium plates give a similar sense of depth and luminosity often leading viewers to think the images are backlit. I have to know the techniques in Photoshop to create this depth, but after my first Aluminium print there was no looking back. For this reason, the book is being printed at a very high quality, as you would expect from an Art book, to reflect the metal prints of the original art. It is an Art book that tells a dark compelling story, and the book design enhances that feel.

Steampunk is a slippery slope. You buy a waistcoat, a hat, goggles and before you know it, you have a set of wings! This is how I am at every Comic Con, and weighing 11 kilos, the wings take their toll on me after 3 days!

My one rule is that you have to be a genuine steampunk to be in the story. If I meet a Steampunk in an amazing costume the character will instantly form in my mind, including their whole back story. It is like I have lived their characters life. The Steampunk community is amazingly creative and hugely inspiring, with no shortage of character possibilities, but it only works for me if I ‘see’ the character on first sight. There can be a stunning costume, but it won’t generate a character and that is hard to understand, but it is about connection. I then work by asking the characters to act the scenes out, so I give them the back story and they become the character I have in mind. For example, in real life the character Adella Daw is a university lecturer and the nicest person you could meet. In the story she is a low life street criminal, with a temper. Seeing the character transform as the shoots progressed was amazing. She became really quite evil, and loved every minute of it! The story brings out the worst but at the same time, the best hidden talents in the people involved.

You may think ‘do I need to be into steampunk to get The Imaginarium?’ Well, there is no need to be involved in steampunk to appreciate a good story, in the same way that you don’t need to be a Sci Fi fan to enjoy, say, Star Wars. A good story is a good story whatever the style.

The next book is called The Imaginarium 2 – Robbie Pertwee, Frankensteam

The basis is that Robbie Pertwee is a geeky early teenage boy in present day England, who is into steampunk. He has three friends (two boys and a girl) who are also into steampunk. All are bullied at school and spend their lunchtimes talking about gadgets, airships and wondrous inventions. One Saturday afternoon, Robbie is left at home alone on the farm he lives on with his parents and obnoxious brother. He goes exploring in the outbuildings and in a loft space he finds an old crate in the corner. Prising off the lid he finds paperwork and belongings inside that indicate that he is Dr William’s great, great, great grandson. At the bottom of the crate is The Necessitti, corroded and bent. He spends a few weeks cleaning and getting the arms to move and wondering what on earth it is. Finally, all moving and polished while at his friends for tea, he reveals it. Pulling the lever, the arms move, the orb glows green and all four of them are transported back in time to the point where the first book ends. Dr William is now building an automaton to take on the Nemesis. In this story there are a lot of new characters, for instance two body snatchers who steal mechanical body parts to help Dr William build the automaton. I will also be travelling the world to visit steampunk groups in America, Argentina, Japan, New Zealand, etc to create one huge 4,000 steampunk image in the style of a Lord of the Rings battle scene. As you can imagine, this is a huge undertaking, hopefully financed by the first book for which the Kickstarter is currently live.

People ask me at every Comic Con, where has this come from. If you are a person like me, you may have spent your life doing things for other people. The key to realising your dreams is to be a little bit selfish and focussed, for once. This strategy is not without risk, but no project that is worthwhile, ever is. Above all, be positive, never negative. Think ‘I can do it’ not ‘I might be able to do it’. You don’t want to be that person who says ‘I could have been’. Age barriers exist for say an Olympic swimmer, but not really for a creative. Obstacles and obligations often become an excuse. For sure, you will upset someone, but if they support you and care about you, the upset will not last.
With Imagination, anything is possible.