Steampunk is coming to Oamaru. Weta Workshop, the visual effects company that has won many Academy Awards, has confirmed its involvement in a steampunk exhibition opening at the Forrester Gallery on November 7.
Yesterday, Weta Ltd general manager Tim Launder said he was looking forward to being involved.
"We hope it's something that's going to grow. This year is about planting a seed."
It was part 1920s, part 1930s Victoriana, with some Jules Verne, Flash Gordon and "a bit of Monty Python" thrown in, Mr Launder said.
Weta Workshop will be introducing Dr Grordbort, alongside works from local and Otago artists.
There will also be street steampunk art.
Dr Grordbort's Infallible Aether Oscillators - a line of antique-styled sci-fi weapon props - were created by designer Greg Broadmore.
A Dr Grordbort movie was planned.
Weta would be bringing some ray guns and also portraits to the exhibition, Mr Launder said.
"For me, it's very much a kickback away from today's technology. It's back to what I would call real world materials . . . with a bit of ludicrous."
Mr Launder, who recently visited Oamaru, thought the Forrester Gallery was "beautiful" and the architecture in the town was "fabulous".
He will speak at the opening of the exhibition, which will run for a month and coincide with the town's Victorian heritage celebrations.
It is hoped Mr Broadmore, who was also lead conceptual designer on the sci-fi movie District 9 and part of the Weta design team that worked on King Kong, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and Black Sheep, will also attend.
Gallery curator Else Mackenzie was "over the moon" about the exhibition.
"It's just going to be extreme and out there and people are just going to be blown away," she said.
