The demoscene is an international community creating digital audio-visual works. The artists’ tools are electronic devices. Programs, music, and graphics are created on a variety of computer equipment, often pushing beyond its technical specifications — all in the name of art.

The Social Committee “Chronicle of the Polish Demoscene” closely cooperated with demoscene teams, cultural organizations, and individuals conducting research on digital culture and art.

It all began somewhere in 2019, from a tweet announcing the creation of the international initiative The Art of Coding, aimed at recognizing demoscene creativity as craftsmanship and art, whose development is part of the contemporary history of humanity.

The Polish demoscene is officially Polish cultural heritage.

After two years of hard work, in December 2021, we managed to receive a letter with a decision from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage about the entry of the demoscene into the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Thus, we joined Germany and Finland, and our experiences have paved the way for other countries that have also worked on their applications.

I am extremely happy that Poland, right after Finland and Germany, recognized the digital culture of the demoscene as immaterial cultural heritage. It is a huge milestone, as it confirms on an institutional level that the demoscene is a major influence on digital culture east and west, north and south, crossing all borders and boundaries. We are super-grateful for the success of the Polish scene and community behind Kronika Polskiej Demosceny, which pushed the successful application with great passion and energy. Ogromne gratulacje!.

Tobias Kopka Art of Coding co-founder

What does this mean for the demoscene?

For the demoscene, such a decision means first and foremost that its works are now officially part of culture, Polish and global — this is not a small thing. We can continue to develop, cultivate the traditions we like, and change those that no longer suit us over time, remaining a wonderfully wild, avant-garde subculture.

The only obligation on us, which has not changed over the years, is to continue creating and passing our customs on to the next generations of people interested in the demoscene.

See what history we are creating, from early cracking, through harnessing not entirely obvious tools as means of fantastic expression, to laying the foundations for many contemporary creative industries — and finally, again pioneering, this time in the field of digital culture, as a community whose quirky traditions and sometimes bizarre creations are internationally recognized as a significant contribution to the development of humanity. Who would have thought!

UNESCO’s mission includes, among other things, developing and implementing legal norms, with special emphasis on the protection of cultural heritage. Therefore, we can count on the protection of our works, collections, and special skills from, let’s say gently, unwanted commercialization by entities unrelated to the demoscene.

If we want, we can call our works — art without a shred of embarrassment.

And besides, incidentally, we (the demoscene) contribute to deepening the understanding of the value of digital art and the craftsmanship associated with its creation.

UNESCO’s World List

We also do not hide that somewhere there, the goal of this cooperation is also to inscribe the world demoscene on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity — and it will be the first digital culture on this list. We hope that joining our ranks by the Netherlands and Switzerland will make us achieve it sooner rather than later.

Partners

Applause for our partners! Organizations and institutions supporting the activities of the Committee for the preservation and cultivation of demoscene traditions (which now officially are part of the national cultural heritage!).