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You're looking at the last static copy (1999) of Acheron.org, more recent but partial copies exist in the wayback machine. This site is online out of nostalgia and because of it's historic content, an up to date ANSI/ASCII art archive is available from 16colo.rs

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The art scene and the web, part I
by dangermouse

No-one could have guessed what impact the emergence of the world wide web would have had on the underground art scene. It was already firmly implanted in the Bulletin Board community, owing its very existence to it in fact. What would follow would be a plethora of web sites about groups, the scene and everything else..

The art scene embraced the Internet, and this article examines many of the highlights that came over the years.

Suffice to say, by the time the World Wide Web became prominent, sceners were looking for ways to use this new medium. The BBS scene was slowly dwindling, mainly because the net offered faster communication, greater access and well, shitloads of novelty value (pron).

ACiD was among the very first groups in existence, and along with iCE, was one of the first groups to build a web site for itself. iCE got the domain name first though, as ACiD had been hosted on an .edu server for some time, but got too busy, therefore warranting a server in itself.

Since this time, many other great web sites have either existed or still exist on the web: creators.org, Cia's web site; twilightproductions.org, Twilight; ice.org, iCE productions; blade.org, Blade; darkillustrated.org, Dark; infidels.kracked.com, Infidels, and many more..

A lot of these web sites in themselves really showcased the talent that oozes from the scene. Blade and iCE have web sites that many professional web development outfits would be envious of.

Along with the group sites that littered the net, there were also the obligatory resource and portal sites. Long before acheron.org, the Super Unknown and TASH (The Art Scene Homepage) where the premier sources for information in the art scene. Both sites mainly acted as portals, not fully realising the amount of information and services they could have offered.

Ampersand, in late 1996, tried to fill the gap that the Super Unknown and TASH left after they died. Eerie built a information rich site, both with unique information presentation, and unique design. It incorporated the latest news, pack releases and numerous articles and pack reviews (?).

Ankh, run by Bedlam, was also another site about the scene, but was only up during the Spring and Summer of 1996, dying around the same time as the mOp and ACiD merger..

Artpacks.acid.org was indeed the major site, originally being the "/ansi" directory on the Hornet Archive. Since then, the site has gotten its own html front end, and had many features such as batch file tagging, download statistics, and other features added thanks to their chief programmer, Shivan Bastard. The importance of this site cannot be under rated. It has time and time again offered a space for anyone wishing to upload their packs to the wider world. It's databases now stretch as far back as 1990.

It wasn't until January 1997 that acheron.org emerged. It wouldn't be until late that year that it become more prominent in its news gathering, and ultimately becoming the information source for the art scene. Since 1997 it has amassed 290+ pages of content, 300+ photos, 50+ articles and interviews, an art gallery, tutes, a comprehensive links directory, and more.. It is now a database for the scene, and has never really claimed to be an web-mag.

Scenelink tried to bridge the gap between art scene and the rest of the scene in 1997. It tried to cover everything, from art to the warez scene, from coding to hacking, and so forth, but largely remained a warez and hacking resource. It has since undergone a transformation, and is also in limbo as some technical problems are ironed out.

During 1997, Lost Lands also made its debut, operated by Element Design's RW. It was mainly a huge links site, and later promised to be quite a nice art gallery for artists to showcase their art.

The Original ANSI ART Gallery was also introduced during 1997 by George Ramos, and is still online to this day. Unfortunately it hasn't been updated in quite some time, mainly due to George not being that well. The site will be taken over by plasmatik in the near future with a new look.

This year, 1998, saw the release of two ANSI galleries almost back to back. The ANSI Museum, run by cool t, showed promise, but never really got off the ground. Just recently, dieznyik's VTAG has reopened, after taking a hiatus earlier in the year. The site offers a plethora of ANSI picture and logo exhibits categorised by artist. This is kind of thing the art scene really needs, and lets hope that it stays open.

The Extremist's Operation Rescue opened this year as the first pack reviews dedicated sight the scene has seen. The reviewers, most often Thext, offered advice on ANSIs and later HIREZ works, more often than not making crude comments on poor pieces :> The site died mid 1998.

It what seems to be the year for art scene related sites, Gywdian's Oracle has also opened. It features pack reviews, articles, interviews, latest pack downloads, and a favourite group voting system (something which the beam e-mag introduced via its online presence).

Artcore is site which was made to cater for individual artists. Its creator wanted to make a site where all artists felt welcome to display their art, whether they be from the underground art scene or the more main stream industry. A recent redesign has made the site dynamic and much more popular, attracting many artists.

What indeed must be said at this point is this: the art scene has again and again shown its diversity and flair to create interesting and technically up-to-date web sites -- something which should be commended. Many doodleboys work as webmasters, web programmers, graphic artists, or within the Information Technology industry.

Some artists have even set up their own web development companies. vFive, comprising mainly of iCE members, create innovative and brilliant sites for their clients -- something which is immediately apparent when viewing their site. They have been is business for over 2 years now, with clients such as MCA/Universal Studies to name but a few.

Element Design is one such other company which has arisen from the scene. They have become successful through their competitive and fast hosting services. They host a number of scene sites including Razorshift, Avenge, Remorse, Acheron, Hirez.org, etc..

Razorshift is also another web development company, run by the two Avenge boys Creator and Spot.


Part II:
Part II will examine the many personal sites which have been created by the artists within the scene.

Discussion Topic this month:
How has the web affected the art scene? Do you think it has affected us in a good way, as indeed this article stipulates? Also, what are your favourite art scene sites -- include personal ones, so we can have some content for the second part.

>> discussions (General Art Discussion)

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  © copyright 1997-1999 Dangermouse aka Darryl Lyons
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