Welcome to my online portfolio.
The projects on this website demonstrate my interests.
Though my work is diverse, there is a common framework.
I start from three principles:
1. Practice and theory in synergy
My research rethinks my art; my aesthetic products test my ideas. The world is an ever-changing place, so I never stop learning. I apply critical thinking to each challenge.
2. Play is key to creativity
I enjoy happy accidents and the surprises that experimentation brings. My work is based around improvisation and often integrates chance processes. In particular, my compositions explore accidents of listening.
3. Professional ethics are essential
Since 1993 I have been a member of the ACM and follow their code of ethics. The Association of Computing Machinery is the professional group that governs computer programmers and software engineers.
Sound composition and installations
My music varies over a continuum from minimal frequency interactions to richly layered noise. I use diverse material: field recordings, processed instruments, synthesis. The results may be filed under the categories of ambient, drone, or noise.
My albums are primarily designed for binaural listening (e.g. headphones) but will sound equally good on speakers. I have also composed for concerts using multi-speaker arrays.
Performances engage local audiences as a priority. I make music where I live. I particularly enjoy the fluid group improvisations that are a hallmark of Sonic Vigil and the experimental scene in Cork. Otherwise Limerick is my home.
I am open to collaborations, so get in touch!
Image that move and transform
Over the years I have built a significant catalogue of short experimental films alongside music videos made for other clients. I enjoy using found sources but also record my own footage.
Check out my work on Vimeo and YouTube (icons in footer).
Contact me if you believe a commission would be enjoyable.
Sound engineering and production
I was professionally trained as an audio engineer at OIART in Canada.
My studio experience is limited as I prefer a more fluid work environment.
My computer-based production experience includes numerous DAWS: Reaper, Samplitude, Cakewalk, Cubase, Nuendo... pretty much everything except Ableton Live. I am flexible since I understand the principles of audio more than the specifics of each tool.
I have extensive used synthesis environments such as Reaktor and Max... though the latter is increasingly distant in memory!
Additional experience:
- field recording techniques and equipment
- multi-channel diffusion
- acoustics and psychoacoustics
Conversation and critical discussion
Currently I lecture at the Digital Media Arts Research Centre (DMARC) at the University of Limerick. I regularly deliver papers at international conferences.
I have significant experience with public speaking. I enjoy formats that integrate listening and visual aesthetics. The following subjects are in my repertoire, having taught them at third level:
- algorithmic composition and modular synthesis
- acoustics and psychoacoustics
- soundscape studies and acoustic ecology
- visual aesthetics and coding
- film, video, and animation
- electroacoustic composition practice, theory, and history
- radio and radiophonic art
- sound art and site-specific installations
- academic writing, copyright, and ethics
Photography that captures moments and places
I cover local gigs so that performers have photos for their portfolios. Some of these have remained in press kits for years.
Otherwise I don't photograph people often. I enjoy landscapes, small details, moods, and ordinary things that reveal themselves to be extraordinary. Almost all my design projects, including album and book covers, incorporate my own photos.
There are many examples throughout this site. I have thousands of shots on Flickr. Or follow me on Instagram for regular updates.
Collaboration with dance and poetry
My phenomenology puts the body first, by way of sound as a haptic sense. This also accords with my interest in the spoken word and poetic forms.
Working with movement artists has always been a good fit for these interests. This has included short videos, composition, and general consultation on aesthetics and approaches.
I've created music and sound effects for poetry and theatre events.
I have curated many music events as well as those that incorporate poetry, movement, and visual art. In the past I was active in performance art and this continues to reveal itself in mysterious ways.
I am fascinated by algorithms
For years I was a full-time coder and ran a programming department for a small firm in Ontario. Then followed a period as a professional instructor in Canada and the USA. I innovated in web design throughout the early years of that technology.
Now I use code and visual languages to accelerate my creativity. My tools include:
- Python for general system functions and utilities
- Reaktor and Processing for media coding.
- C for Arduino and other microprocessors
- Fortran, BASIC, Perl, and other languages... remembered from the distant past!
This website is composed of static files that are generated using a templating system and object-oriented page structure that I devised and implemented in Python.
Statement on AI
I do not use so-called "AI" in my work. This technology is designed to exploit the work of artists and others without compensation. It encourages mediocrity while driving money into the hands of the super rich, many of whom have no ethical foundation for their activities. The use of AI damages critical thinking and encourages laziness. The required data centres further destroy the environment.
In early days I explored these technologies in order to understand their impacts. I understand that for some professionals there are limited uses of AI that can be justified. This conversation continues.
Statement on divestment
I will not avail of any invitation to perform or exhibit, nor do I accept funding from any institutions linked to governments which do not comply with international law and universal principles of human rights.
Currently these countries are Israel, Russia, and the United States of America. There are of course other problematic nations, but a line must be drawn somewhere. I make small exceptions only where the benefits to individuals and communities of interest plainly outweigh the damage done through participation.
Free Palestine!
Biography
Robin Parmar has created sound installations, experimental film, dance collaborations, improvised performances, and over a dozen albums, the latest being Present Time (Silent Records, 2026). Awards include the Invisible Places residency (2017) and an Arts Council Bursary (2017). In 2011 he was selected for the national showcase Just Listening: Ireland Calling (curated by the National Sculpture Factory) and in 2010 was an invited artist at EVA International, Ireland's Biennial of Contemporary Art (curator Elizabeth Hatz). Robin has a doctorate in Sonic Creativity from De Montfort University (Leicester, UK) and lectures in Video, Film, and Visual Communication at the University of Limerick (Ireland). He is Vice-President of the Irish Science, Sound, and Technology Association (ISSTA) and reviews for the journal Organised Sound. His handbook Listening To Places (Void Gallery, Derry) sold out its printing.