By Stephanie Amy Collazo
Photo By: Jessica Lilley
Joey Marsocci, better known has Dr. Grymm in the steampunk world, may be one of the most interesting artists we’ve interviewed from the Mobilis in Mobili exhibition at WSSC. Graduating from Disney’s California Institute of the Arts with a BFA in Theme Park Arts, he was a part of the production team for an updated version of a ride based on 20000 Leagues under the Sea. This is also where he began to express his love of steampunk art.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Marsocci’s work, Dr. Grymm is his alter ego and a vital part of the stories behind all of his pieces.
“This villain of the steampunk world is typically heard behind a heavy Western tone as he is from the old West circa 1889. His contraptions are always dark in nature but with also a bit of humor,” said Marsocci. “The best way to tell the difference between the artist and Dr. Grymm is when he is wearing his signature red-tinted goggles.”
Marsocci was the first of the artists to identify himself as a steampunk artist, with 90 percent of his work being of the genre.
The piece on display at WSSC is what Marsocci described as a dangerous tattoo machine, fusing a tattoo machine and an arm. Using a hand massager, projector parts, tube radios, a paint sprayer and miscellaneous parts (such as a glass vile of squid ink), Marsocci created an interesting piece that looks like something you’d find in Mary Shelley’s home.
If you are not going to be in the N.Y.C. area and want to see more work by Dr. Grymm, he currently has work on display at the Charles River Museum, the Steampunk Bizarre Exhibit in Hartford, CT and permanent installations at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
Dr. Grymm is amazing. Certainly even those who know nothing about steampunk would agree that he’s a mad genius.