The Neverwas Haul is a three-story, self-propelled mobile art vehicle built to resemble a Victorian house on wheels. Inspired by the fantastical stories of

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

and

H.G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...

, the Haul was designed by Shannon O’Hare and built by a crew of volunteers at the Shipyard art space in Berkeley, CA, in 2006. Originally intended to be a ‘mutant vehicle’ for the

Burning Man Burning Man is a week-long large-scale desert event focused on "community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance" held annually in the Western United States. The event's name comes from its ceremony on the penultimate night of the event: the ...

art festival in Nevada, the Haul is made from 75% recycled materials, and measures 24 feet long, 24 feet high, and 12 feet wide. It is built on the base of a fifth-wheel trailer, and the second and third story of the structure pack down into the first for highway towing. When fully built and decked out for exhibition at Burning Man, the Haul is able to propel itself at a top speed of 5 miles per hour and requires a crew of ten people to operate safely (since Victorian houses are notoriously lacking in side- and rear-view mirrors). Currently, the Neverwas Haul makes her home a
Obtainium Works
an “art car factory” in Vallejo, CA, owned by O’Hare and home to several other self-styled “contraptionists.”

Steampunk fiction and art

The Haul is often associated with

steampunk Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and Applied arts, aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century Industrial Revolution, industrial steam engine, steam-powered machinery. Steampun ...

, a sub-cultural movement that draws its inspiration from a fusion of

Victorian-era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed th ...

science fiction and contemporary technology. True to the alternative histories that are a staple of the steampunk genre, the Neverwas Haul has its origin story in a history that never was, a history in which the

Hibernian Hibernian may refer to: * Of Hibernia, Latin name for Ireland; hence ** Irish (disambiguation) Hibernian, Hibernians or The Hibernian may refer to: Sports clubs * Hibernian F.C., a Scottish football club, founded 1875 * Hibernian W.F.C., a Sc ...

Empire (not the British Empire) dominated the sociopolitical landscape of the nineteenth century—Hibernia being an obscure name for Ireland. In this mythology, the Neverwas Haul is the greatest of all the Hauls – Romani vardo-like vehicles driven by "Track Banshees" – itinerant women who use their preternatural mechanical skills to keep their families on the move. The Haul is the primary mode of transport for the ″Traveling Academy of Unnatural Science,″ who seek to acculturate the heathens of the

Black Rock Desert The Black Rock Desert is a semi-arid region (in the Great Basin shrub steppe ecoregion) of lava beds and Dry lake, playa, or alkali flats, situated in the Black Rock Desert–High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area, a silt ...

(where the

festival is held) by sharing such cultural staples as Gin and Tonics, and High Tea.

Accommodations

The Neverwas Haul consists of three major sections: engine room, command deck, and parlor. The engine room stores extra cargo and seats up to six people. The command deck is dominated by a full size ship's wheel for steering. The controls are a throttle for hydraulic control, and a dead man switch for emergency stops. The parlor is well apportioned: it has a bar, library, veranda, vintage stuffed chairs, and a camera obscura. There are even stairs to the "widows walk" which has a rooftop view. While many media sources cite the Neverwas Haul as an unusual RV or Winnebago, it is primarily a large overly detailed kinetic art piece.

Media appearances

Outside of Burning Man, the Neverwas Haul is featured in books, TV and several music videos: * 2022-2023: On exhibit and open to the public at Mare island Art Studios. * 2021: Returned to Vallejo and open again to the public at th
Mare Island Art Yard
a temporary art exhibit sponsored by th
Mare Island Brewing Company
A detailed report is covered in th
Steampunk Explorer
blog. * 2020: Trapped in Vegas. On display on Freemont Street behind a security gate at a closed hotel. * 2018–2019: The Neverwas Haul was on display at th
Lyft Art Park in Las Vegas
as part of a revolving display of Burning Man Art pieces. * 2015: Th
''Vintage Tomorrows'' documentary
showcased the Neverwas Haul and crew at bot
Burning Man
and hosting a Steampunk Wedding. * 2013: A feature of the ''Vintage Tomorrows'' book and 2016 documentary about the Steampunk movement and its effect on technology. * 2012: One of the featured art pieces in Abney Park's "Steampunk Revolution" music video. * 2012: Appeared on
Oddities: San Francisco
' TV Show, Season 01, Episode 04, "Holy Hydrocephalic Cow." * 2010: Musician Renée de la Prade tours the Neverwas Haul while singing in Culann's Hounds'
Land of Lost Things
music video. * 2009: Converted into a haunted house, th
Neverwas Haul was showcased inside the Exploratorium for a Halloween exhibit
Live tours included a rampaging robot, and Mad Scientists scaring the children with a "Killer Rabbit" puppet. * 2007:''
The Neverwas Haul premiered at the second annual Maker Faire
in San Mateo Fairgrounds in Silicon Valley. It was showcased at the event for three years in a row.

References

External links

Obtainium Works Website

Vintage Tomorrows Book Website

Vintage Tomorrows Documentary on IMDB

Steampunk Explorer Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neverwas Haul Steampunk Customised buses Burning Man