Hackers, Steampunkers and the Sunday AM Experience

Jason McKelvey introduced me to the concept of steampunk. The idea is one of high technology, but in a world where steam power is still widely used. In terms of look, think 19th Century and the works of H. G. Wells.  Just like some artists are into altered imagery or books, steampunkers are into altered technology.

There are a number of artists who are doing unbelievable things. Jake von Slatt hosts steampunkworkshop.com which serves as sort of a Steampunk for Dummies. The how-to site includes all the steps he used to transform day-to-day technology into functional steampunked works of art. Another favorite of steampunkers is the transformation of electric guitars. On Google Images, type in “steampunk guitar” and it will bring up photos that make you wonder how someone conceived of them in the first place.

The concept of art based on transformation rather than creation is intriguing. 

Consider the 2003 album released by Sparrow Records called Smashups which took the lyrics of one song and the music from another to create something entirely new. (Includes the fabulous track with the lyrics of Grits Tennessee Bwoys paired with Switchfoot's You Already Take Me There.)  The idea of taking someone else's tracks and mixing them to become a new work entirely is so common today that there is a word for it: mashups.  (Little did Vanilla Ice know...)

The concept isn't limited to art and music.  It is also being seen in business. To quote Don Tapscott in Wikinomics, "Growing numbers of professional and amateur developers are creating their own content and applications by combining various fragments they find freely scattered across the Web." 

Here's the thing.  The most successful companies such as Google and Amazon aren't hindering this.  They are facilitating it.  Sharing code. Officially releasing their API's. (Acousticdimensions.com is making use of this by leveraging Google maps to allow people to georgaphically surf our portfolio.) Contrast that with the way business is usually done (such as the closely guarded secret formula for Coca-Cola) and you can see the tension. 

My question is this...are we going to begin to feel that tension in the way we structure our Sunday AM services? In many settings, the services are linear and for the most part structured enough to be able to print the order of service in the bulletin. Will this change as our culture becomes more and more digital? Should it?  Or is there room for steampunkers, mashup artists and hackers?

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