Abstract

What demos are (not)
The demoscene (or short: the scene) is a vivid digital subculture of approximately up to 10.000 people which work internationally and collaboratively on different kinds of non-commercial digital artefacts (e. g. hand-pixeled images, music and magazines), essentially so called (computer) demos, which are audio-visual real-time animations. Pivotal to the demo aesthetic is the synaesthetic experience of the interplay of electronic images, animations and sounds in connection with its computer-generated background – the demosceners (or short: sceners) connect artistic practices with highly elaborated computer programming techniques in a unique way.

• Doreen Hartmann (DE) studied Comperative Literature, Media Studies & Computer Science at the University of Paderborn (Germany), where she currently teaches Media Aesthetics and works on a Ph.D. thesis on the art of computer demos. Her research interests are digital media & (sub-)cultures and new media art.

Full text (PDF) p.  124-126