Computer Space forum

Computer Space forum is a yearly computer art festivals, organized by the Student Computer Art Society (SCAS) in Sofia, Bulgaria. It's one of the oldest computer festivals in Bulgaria, founded in 1989.

An international non-commercial event and platform joining young artists, students and producers of computer graphics, computer animation, off-line multimedia, electronic music and web design. Computer Space includes contest and festival part and all the events are free and open to the public especially encouraging the participation of students and young artists. Every year more than 200 projects in the sphere of computer arts have been presented by their authors and discussed. The creative idea, the transformation of the idea to project, the combination of technology and art in the implementation, the society impact of computers have been always a main focus of the symposia in the frame of Computer Space.

Starting as an electronic music festival in 1989 Computer Space included graphics and animation sections next few years. Web design has been one of the fast-growing sections last 7 years.

During the 1980s Bulgaria specialized in producing microcomputers in the former communist block countries and the Soviet Union specialized in producing big machines and supercomputers. The Eastern block countries had the so-called Economic Inter-support Council and in the frame of that Council each country has been developing some economic area. At that time it was not so clear the microcomputers will be the future and some experts believe that the microcomputers are mainly for games and home usage. It happened that in 1981 the first microcomputer in Eastern Europe called Imko II then (in 1982) called Pravetz 82 (with 8 bit processor) has been released in Bulgaria. This was Apple II compatible microcomputer and it came to life just after Apple II.

This situation placed Bulgaria in the leadership role in microcomputers production not only in Eastern Europe but also in the Middle East and even in the Central Europe. A huge plants have been built exporting thousands of Pravetz 82 and later Pravetz 16 (with 8086/88 processor) to all Eastern block countries and to Arabic countries. The development of computer industry in that time strongly influenced the development of software and also the development of computer arts. In the beginning of 80's the first analogue synthesiser (produced in Paris and occupying almost one big hall) has been installed in the Bulgarian National Radio and thus giving a strong tool to the electronic music composers from the Balkan region. The own production of EGA and VGA displays in the middle and late 80s pushed the computer graphics and visualization to a new level.

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