I unfortunately don't know much about steampunk but I think I probably wasn't specific enough. There are a number of sub-groups in the art world and I was more

I unfortunately don't know much about steampunk but I think I probably wasn't specific enough. There are a number of sub-groups in the art world and I was more referring about that larger group rather than just those that practice modern art that are usually seen in hoity-toity galleries. For example the whole flash mob stuff got moving originally through performance artists trying to innovate. The underground music scene is another great one in that most of the stuff that gets integrated into the mainstream originally originated from niches of independents far removed from commercial music. Interactive artists probably don't get nearly enough attention by the HN crowd - a lot of them have been experimenting with all sorts of stuff. I can remember 5-10 years back some artists experimenting with peoples movement and technology - somewhat like rudimentary version of kinect.