Bio
I was born in Birmingham, England but grew up and was educated in London, Ontario, Canada. There I achieved an Honours degree in Theoretical Physics from the University Of Western Ontario plus a diploma from the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology (OIART).
Since 1993 I have been a member of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), the organisation which governs computer professionals. As such, I abide by their Code of Ethics.
My home since 2003 has been Limerick, Ireland. There I am deeply committed to a plurality of artistic and professional activities. In 2009 I attained first class honours in a Masters in Music Technology at the University of Limerick. My thesis was "The Garden of Adumbrations": An Anecdotal Soundscape.
Sound Art & Composition
I am currently exploring sound art installations. In 2010 the site-specific piece "The Lights In Room 7" was accepted for the international ev+a exhibition. Other areas of interest include phonography, the soundscape conception of R.M. Schafer, the anecdotal works of Luc Ferrari and multi-channel environmentally-sensitive playback systems.
As escalation 746 (and other incarnations) I haved played live in Dublin, Galway and Limerick. These performances integrate drum beats, sine wave pulses, cut-ups and other rhythmic techniques. In December 2007 the CD Marmaros, one continuously shifting texture of orchestral harmonics, was released on Studio Ubiquity. Check out the escalation 746 website for downloads, CD releases and further activities.
Audio Engineering
I made a live recording to document the short-lived multicultural collaboration Coffee and Cream and recently developed the pre-show theme for the album launch of The Fewer The Better. Other work has been for theatre and dance. I'm curently working on a variety of upcoming releases, including the restoration of a lost Canadian post-punk album.
Event Curatorship
With Robert Sazdov of University of Limerick, I organise the ongoing Soundings concerts, the latest of which (March 2010) featuring Canada's Robert Normandeau. I am also a partner in RICE, The Real Institute of Civic Engagement, a social arts project founded by Frankfurt dramaturge Steve Valk. In this role I integrate visual design, research, writing, audio and performance into projects including Seven Days Of Everything at the 2005 Dublin Fringe and the lecture-performance Quantum Physics And New Theories Of Social Relations.
Poetry
My most recent solo reading was at The White House in early 2010. Other readings have been performed at The Belltable, Flannery's Pub, the Cuisle International Poetry Festival, the Eigse Michael Hartnett (open mic) and other venues. In 2005 I was an invited guest of the Pulse Festival in Brighton, UK and previously represented Ireland at the Oxford International Slam. My most recent publications were in the Stony Thursday anthology (Ireland), launched October 2007 and TEXT Vol. 11 No. 2 (Australia).
Writing & Editing
I contributed the chapter "Complementarity: An Archipelago" to the book Choreography as an Aesthetics of Change, edited by Jeffrey Gormly (Daghdha 2009). In 2006 I presented the paper "Time And Reality Die In Spectacle: Doctor Who As The Perfect Crime" at the Engaging Baudrillard conference in Swansea, Wales. In 2005 I co-edited Microphone On, the most extensive book of new poetry ever published in Ireland. Other works are forthcoming.
Photography & Design
I create posters, posters, posters, as well as graphics for RICE, escalation 746 and other mentioned partners. The scope of this activity includes book covers, business cards, logos, CD covers and so on. Besides copy editing and layout I designed the cover of Microphone On from an original photograph. Speaking of which, I have been rather busy clicking away behind a camera, having over 2000 photos in my Flickr stream and even a few accepted in the Pentax Photo Gallery. My first national shot appeared in the Irish Examiner in May 2010.
Website Development
Through my consultancy Parmar Development I offer web design and development services, built on two decades of programming experience. Projects range from robust corporate sites to cutting-edge art projects. In all cases technical aspects like search engine optimisation, usability and standards compliance go hand-in-hand with a flair for elegant design to deliver the desired message. I specialise in sites for small art groups.
Radio
In the past I was active in community radio, producing over 400 episodes of the arts/music programme Missing 15 Minutes. An excerpt was presented at the AMARC 4 International Festival of Radio Art in Dublin and included on the compilation tape Radio Art International. Additionally I was a producer for the arts programme Dreamscapes (London, Ontario, Canada) and a founding member of Radio Ethos, the first community internet radio station in Canada (Strathroy, Ontario, Canada, 1998).
this site copyright © 2007-2010 Robin Parmar