Demoparties are gatherings of a digital art subculture known as demoscene. This culture was born in the 1980s around demos, real-time audiovisual presentations that were originally used to display programmer skill, but are nowadays mostly enjoyed for their artistic merits and as entertainment.
The first Alternative Party was organized in 1998, after the organizers got tired of "mainstream" demoparties not accepting productions created on "retro" computers (like the Atari), so this year Altparty celebrates its 10th anniversary.
Unlike most demoparties which tend to have compos for demos, digital graphics and music, Altparty has presented a different eclectic selection of eclectic compos every year, which in the past has included contests for e.g. sewing, plasticine, karaoke, silent movies, poem recital and mockumentaries (fake documentaries).
Each Altparty event is enjoyed by many foreign visitors, from countries such as Estonia, Norway, France, the United Kingdom and Greece. Some people travel from abroad every year for the unique atmosphere of the event.
Where and When
The party is held at the Cable Factory (Kaapelitehdas) near the center of Helsinki, Finland, 24th-26th October 2008. The location is easily accessible by public transport both from the Helsinki airport and the different ports of Helsinki. The event is open 24/7 and the party place features a sleeping corner, so a hotel booking may not be necessary.
Normal advance tickets cost 30 euros (about $43 USD), but there are pricier "luxury" tickets available. For example the "imperial ticket" costs 950 euros, but includes limo transportation, a computer place with a sofa and fridge and other perks.
Day tickets for Saturday are 20 euros, but they are not sold in advance. If the event is sold out (which might well happen), they won't be available. Kids under 12 get in for free with a paying adult.
This Year's Highlights
This year's theme is steampunk, a genre of science fiction not set in the future as most scifi, but in Victorian times, when steam machines were prevalent. The theme is reflected in the event's website and the quirky Alt magazine which was published in August. There is also a steampunk costume contest.
Other competitions include CSS graphics, 1 channel tracker music and the most obscure computer competition. The last one may be quite a tough one to win, considering that many of the party visitors sport 20-30 years old computers.
The most interesting contest may be the FogScreen interactive demo competition. FogScreen is just what it name says - a translucent projection "screen" produced by tiny droplets of water that can be walked through.
The main musical guest will be none other than Front 242, the pioneers of EBM (electronic body music), a somewhat dark but still danceable genre of industrial techno. There are other DJs and artists playing as well, including DJ Proteus and the Serbian group Kosmoplovci. The special guest of this year is Brad Templeton, a notable figure in the history of both online business and online entertaintment.
New additions to the event include a computer exhibition and art exhibition. The latter will showcase both digital and traditional art, likely also multimedia installations. There will also be a circuit bending workshop and a presentation about biomedical research graphics programming. Front 242 will hold a special presentation about their views on art, music videos and other things.
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