Interview with Paul DeMarinis Ouzounian, G. (2010). Interview with Paul DeMarinis. Computer Music Journal, 34(4)(4), 10-21. Published in: Computer Music Journal Queen's University Belfast - Research Portal: Link to publication record in Queen's University Belfast Research Portal General rights Copyright for the publications made accessible via the Queen's University Belfast Research Portal is retained by the author(s) and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. Take down policy The Research Portal is Queen's institutional repository that provides access to Queen's research output. Every effort has been made to ensure that content in the Research Portal does not infringe any person's rights, or applicable UK laws. If you discover content in the Research Portal that you believe breaches copyright or violates any law, please contact [email protected]. Download date:27. Sep. 2021 An Interview with Paul DeMarinis Gascia Ouzounian Computer Music Journal, Volume 34, Number 4, Winter 2010, pp. 10-21 (Article) Published by The MIT Press For additional information about this article http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/cmj/summary/v034/34.4.ouzounian.html Access Provided by Queen's University, Belfast at 12/01/10 2:57PM GMT Gascia Ouzounian School of Music and Sonic Arts An Interview with Paul Queen’s University Belfast Belfast, Northern Ireland BT7 1NN DeMarinis [email protected] Since the early 1970s, the American electronic Music. During 2009–2010, he undertook a residency media artist Paul DeMarinis (b. 1948, Cleveland, in Berlin as part of a Deutscher Akademischer Ohio, USA) has created works that re-imagine Austausch Dienst (DAAD) Berlin Artist Fellowship. modes of communication and reinvent the tech- This interview took place in his Berlin residence nologies that enable communication. His works on 3 August 2009 and was supplemented with (see Table 1) have taken shape as recordings, per- subsequent electronic mail communications. formances, electronic inventions, and site-specific and interactive installations; many are considered landmarks in the histories of electronic music and media art. Paul DeMarinis pioneered live perfor- Early Work and Education mance with computers, collaborated on landmark works with artists like David Tudor and Robert Ouzounian: I wanted to start with some general Ashley, undertook several tours with the Merce questions about your studies. I read that you had Cunningham Dance Company, and brought to studied film and music as an undergraduate. life obscure technologies such as the flame loud- DeMarinis: Yes. I came to music from classical speaker (featured in his 2004 sculpture Firebirds). music, which I studied as a teenager. In college, His interactive installation The Music Room (1982), I became very interested in media: film and tape, commissioned by Frank Oppenheimer for the making pieces with electronics. I went to a small Exploratorium in San Francisco, was the first auto- liberal arts college in Ohio called Antioch College. matic music work to reach a significant audience. Paul Sharits was there; he was a really inspiring His album Music As A Second Language (1991) filmmaker. I then went to Mills College for graduate marks one of the most extensive explorations of school. the synthesized voice and speech melodies to date. Installations like The Edison Effect (1989–1993), Ouzounian: Is that where you met David Tudor? in which lasers scan ancient recordings to produce music, and The Messenger (1998/2005), in which DeMarinis: I met David when I was in school electronic mail messages are displayed on alpha- at Mills. Bob Ashley was co-director of the CCM betic telegraph receivers, illustrate a creative process [Center for Contemporary Music] at the time, and he that Douglas Kahn (1994) has called “reinventing invited various artists for projects; David Tudor was invention.” one of those. Also David Behrman, Gordon Mumma, Paul DeMarinis has performed internationally for Alvin Lucier—they all came and did projects, so I several decades, and his works have been exhibited met all of them during that period. I worked with at museums including the InterCommunication David Tudor from 1976–1978 on the electronics for Center (ICC) in Toyko, the Kiasma Museum of Rainforest IV. Contemporary Art in Helsinki, and the San Francisco Ouzounian: Whatwasitliketoworkonwhat Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). His work is the would become such an iconic piece? subject of a recent book, Paul DeMarinis: Buried in Noise (Beirer, Himmelsbach, and Seiffarth 2010). He DeMarinis: It was really remarkable. If you look at it is Associate Professor at Stanford University, where in hindsight, the idea of David taking on unknown, he holds appointments in both the Department inexperienced young artists in a project that was, of Art and Art History and the Department of for him, a pretty high-profile piece—in 1976, for instance, we presented it at the Festival d’Automne in Paris and the Espace Pierre Cardin in Paris—it Computer Music Journal, 34:4, pp. 10–21, Winter 2010 was pretty amazing to manage to do this piece. That c 2010 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. he would pick up this band of people. David Tudor 10 Computer Music Journal Table 1. List of Works by Paul DeMarinis Table 1. Continued Sound Installations/Works with Sound DeMarinis, P. 1993. “Essay in Lieu of a Sonata (The Dust (2009) Edison Effect).” Available on-line at www.stanford Early Media Goes to the Movies (2008) .edu/∼demarini/edison.html. Hypnica (2007) DeMarinis, P. 1985. “Gray Matter.” Available on-line at One Bird (2007) www.stanford.edu/∼demarini/graymatter.html. From Rome to Tripoli (2006) DeMarinis, P. 1979. “Drifting Harmonies.” In R. Bridge Re-Titled (2006) Ashley, ed. Music with Roots in the Aether: A Light Rain (2004, in collaboration Interviews with and Essays about Seven American with Rebecca Cummins) Composers.Koln:¨ Edition MusikTexte. Firebirds (2004) Discography Tongues of Fire (2004) Ashley, R., and P. DeMarinis. 2003. In Sara, Mencken, Rebus (2003) Christ and Beethoven There Were Men and Women. Wavescape (2003) Audio compact disc. New York: Lovely Music According to Scripture (2002) CD4291. Moondust Memories (2001) DeMarinis, P. 2000. “Vocal Variety.” Recorded on Walls in the Air (2001) Volume: Bed of Sound. Audio compact disc. New Four Foxhole Radios (2000) York: PS1 Contemporary Art Center. The Lecture of Comrade Stalin (1999–2002) DeMarinis, P. 1999. “The Lecture of Comrade RainDance/Musica Aquatic (1998) Stalin....” Recorded on Leonardo Music Journal CD Grind Snake Blind Apes Series Volume 8: Ghosts and Monsters: Technology (A Study for Pomeroy’s Tomb) (1997) and Personality in Contemporary Music.Audio Living with Electricity (1997) compact disc. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press Sound Waves and Scan-O-Vision (1996) ISAST 8, EMF CD012. Gray Matter (1995) DeMarinis, P. 1995. The Edison Effect: A Listener’s Chaotic Jumpropes (1994) Companion. Audio compact disc. Eindhoven: Het An Unsettling Matter (1991) Apollohuis/Apollo Records ACD039514. The Edison Effect (1989–1993) DeMarinis, P. 1995. The Edison Effect: A Voyeur’s Fireflies Alight on the Abacus of Al-Farabi (1989/1998) Companion. CD-ROM. Artifice #2 ISSN 1357-0498. Alien Voices (1988) DeMarinis, P. 1994. Wireless Telephony. Recorded on Voice Creatures (1986) A¨ ani¨ Kalenteri: A Sound Calendar. Audio compact Music Room/Faultless Jamming (1982) disc. Helsinki: Kruunuradio/MUU Helsinki. Sound Fountain (1982, in collaboration DeMarinis, P. 1993. The Dream Advisor. Recorded on with David Behrman) Pieces pour standards et repondeurs telephoniques. Sounds and the Shadows of Sounds (1979) Audio compact disc. Dijon, France: Nouvelles Scenes The Pygmy Gamelan (1973) NS-01. Publications DeMarinis, P. 1991. Music as a Second Language. DeMarinis, P. 2004. “Firebirds.” Available on-line at Audio compact disc. New York: Lovely Music www.stanford.edu/∼demarini/Firebirds.htm. 3011. DeMarinis, P. 1999. “An Archaeology of Sound: An DeMarinis, P. 1989. Mind Power. Audio cassette. New Anthropology of Communication.” In C. Harris, ed. York: Tellus Cassette #22. Art and Innovation—the Xerox PARC Artist-in DeMarinis, P. 1988. I Want You and Kokole.Audio Residence Program. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT compact disc. Kensington, California: Music and Arts Press, pp. 164–185. Programs of America CD176. DeMarinis, P. 1998. “The Lecture of Comrade Stalin.” DeMarinis, P. 1985. Eenie Meenie Chillie Beenie and Available on-line at www.stanford.edu/∼demarini/ Yellow Yankee. Audio cassette. New York: Tellus stalin.html. Cassette #9. DeMarinis, P. 1998. “The Messenger.” Available on-line DeMarinis, P. 1981. She’s-a-Wild. New York and San at www.stanford.edu/∼demarini/messenger.html. Francisco: Record Records RR101. Ouzounian 11 Table 1. Continued culture of art, making objects that were pieces, sometimes requiring performances, sometimes not, DeMarinis, P. 1980. If God Were Alive (& He Is) You sometimes standing alone. Could Reach Him By Telephone and Forest Booties. Recorded on Lovely Little Records. LP record. New Ouzounian: Would those pieces have a unique York: Vital Records VR106. musical or sonic identity? DeMarinis, P. 1979. Great Masters of Melody. Recorded on Blue Gene Tyranny’s Just for the Record.LP DeMarinis: Yes, they would have a unique sound. record. Remastered on audio compact disc. New The Pygmy Gamelan was one of a whole lot of York: Lovely Music Records LCD1062. different things. There was another one that used Various Artists. 2007. The League of Automatic Music induction pick-up coils on appliances with swept Composers. Audio compact disc. New York: New filters that could be controlled by touch-sensitive World Anthology of Recorded American Music plates. It was a piece for earphones. Each piece— CD80671-2 DIDX# 126527. whether it was a piece to be experienced alone, or a piece to be performed for someone, or a piece to be in a gallery—I thought of them as pieces.