Demos |
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Short Introduction to the Demoscene |
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When home computers entered children's bedrooms in the early 1980s, owning e.g. a Commodore C64 not only implied the possibility of arcade gaming at home but also having a (more or less) powerful tool for creating graphics, music, games, or programmes, a fact that was very well recognized by the first generation of kids who grew up using computers. It was them who created a European ›underground‹ amateur movement of young animation producers called the demoscene that has been active until today, especially in the Scandinavian countries in (reunited) Germany and, lately, in Eastern European countries. The programmers, musicians and graphic artists who are involved in the so-called demoscene prove that it is possible to do more with a computer than just calculating spreadsheets, play games or surf the Internet. By using the computer to program visual effects, to compose digital music, to paint and design digital imagery the demosceners put together executable computer programs - so-called demos - to create a completely unrivalled kind of animated film. In their quest to push the technological limitations of their machines to their very limits the demosceners developed their own conventions of (›digital‹) film making. Their »films« - the demos - are not shot with a camera and recorded on film, video or hard disk. Instead they are programmed, mathematically calculated by the computer and then screened on the monitor together with a soundtrack in real-time. Demos have their own place somewhere between music videos, VJ sets and computer game aesthetics. Their visual styles are diverse: Abstract visual experiments can be found next to poetic stories, digital collages connect to surreal worlds. In an original manner demos manage to explore the space between (graphic) design and technology, programming and emotions, movement and music. Furthermore, the demoscene as a social phenomenon is a vivid subculture that, over the years, has developed its own rules as well as special means of presentation and distribution (like huge self-organized computer parties). The screening will show a selection of the most interesting demos released over the last few years for Windows home computers. 2005 |
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Viewing Tips/Downloads |
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Demos are executable computer programs. The demos presented here are Windows-PC programs which partly require very advanced computer hardware. So they do not execute correctly on every setup. Use them only if you know what you are doing, I do not give any warranties for any damage done by these downloads. |
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Aether by mfx (Fi, 2005) |
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Relais by Kolor (De, 2003) |
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fr-019: poem to a horse by Farbrausch (De, 2002) |
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fr-034: time index by Farbrausch & Haujobb (De/Fi, 2003) |
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Tom Thumb by Alex "statix" Evans/TPOLM (UK, 2002) |
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Variform by kewlers (Fi, 2002) |
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Protozoa by kewlers (Fi, 2003) |
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ix by Moppi Productions (Fi, 2003) |
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Planet Risk by Andromeda Software Development (Gr, 2004) |
Selected Links to the Demoscene |
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http://www.demoscene.info/index.en.html
http://tomaes.32x.de/text/faq.php
http://www.scene.org/
http://www.pouet.net/
http://www.ojuice.net/
http://www.scenesight.org/ |
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