Kooma (demogroup)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kooma (also known as COMA) is a Finnish demo group founded in 1994. They are known for exploring the demo medium by extensive use of video content, text and other elements that break the traditional demo format. Demos such as Paimen and The Control achieved a cult status of sorts. Their controversial demos have been shown in art exhibitions and were easily approachable by non-demoscene artists around the world.

1 History
2 Members
3 Releases

[edit] History

[edit] Formation

COMA, 1994

Kooma started as C.O.M.A., which stands for Community of Moral Advancement. It was a name that sounded "cool" for a bunch of teenagers. From the beginning, COMA found their home in the youth center Sekkari, owned by the city of Hämeenlinna. The halls of Sekkari can be seen in the short video clips of their The Meeting Intro.

[edit] Golden years

COMA, 1997

COMA gained attention with demos like Poliisi and 60BR W, but true success wasn't gained until Assembly 1995 and the release of an unusual vector demo called Stickman's World (64k intro, 2nd place). While Virne has always been the main force behind COMA's creativity, Stickmans World was mostly a demonstration of the talents of McGurk. Virne claimed his place in the top of the demoscene with the critically acclaimed Paimen, which was a final breakthrough for COMA. With punk influences, The Control (2nd place at The Gathering 1996) was also a success and secured the group's position as one of the most original in demoscene history. More successful demos and intros followed. The last of the "golden age" productions was Ro Bott at The Gathering 1999.

[edit] Decline

Virne and Deadmeat/mfx at the Mekka & Symposium 2002.

After many successful years, pressure for even better releases became too big. As most of the products were almost entirely made by Virne, the inactivity of the other members took over whole group. Although some members of Kooma still appeared at demoparties in Finland and abroad, they mostly concentrated on boozing and barbequeing, rather than demomaking. While other members released a few demos and intros under the name of SkraappaSkruuppi, the fast years at the Riot-E absorbed all of Virne's remaining energy for demos. Still, Virne's hectic years in the so called "new media" triggered a few new demos. Media Huora and Taiteilijan Kolmas Persoona were the results of this new life style. Virne also experimented with new platforms for demomaking, releasing possibly the world's first demo for Nokia's first Java-capable mobilephone.

[edit] Present day

After many unfinished but still released products, Kooma is trying to reclaim its position as a leading artistic demogroup with a totally new approach for demomaking. There are plans for a new demo in 2006, but details are unknown.