C.U.K.T.'s 1995-2000 Techno-Political Interventions in Poland

The Central Office of Technical Culture (C.U.K.T.), founded in 1995 by Jacek Niegoda and Peter Style, operates as a meta-national entity promoting technical culture through bureaucratic mimicry and political subversion. Based at Napoleon Fort in Gdansk, the group engages with institutions like the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture while rejecting conventional art categories. Their activities include the 1995 Technodemonstration – Anti-election campaign, the 1996-1999 Technopera series, and the 1999 Victoria C.U.K.T. virtual presidential campaign advocating for electronic democracy. C.U.K.T. positions itself outside Poland's art scene, exchanging galleries for techno clubs and artworks for information campaigns. The group conducted cyborg identification tests in 1995-1996 and proposed Art Day as a national holiday. They argue for replacing traditional politics with Electoral Citizen Software, viewing machines as oppressed entities deserving rights. Despite limited technological resources in Poland, C.U.K.T. works toward establishing a Ministry of Technical Culture. The interview was conducted in London from October 25-29, 2000, and published by ARTMargins Online on January 6, 2001.