Bio


Paul DeMarinis has been working as an electronic media artist since 1971 and has created numerous performance works, sound and computer installations and interactive electronic inventions. One of the first artists to use computers in performance, he has performed internationally, at The Kitchen, Festival d'Automne a Paris, Het Apollohuis in Holland and at Ars Electronica in Linz and created music for Merce Cunningham Dance Co. His interactive audio artworks have been exhibited at the I.C.C. in Tokyo, Bravin Post Lee Gallery in New York, The Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco and the 2006 Shanghai Biennale. He has received major awards and fellowships in both Visual Arts and Music from The National Endowment for the Arts, N.Y.F.A., N.Y.S.C.A., the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and was awarded the Golden Nica for Interactive Art at Ars Electronica in 2006. Much of his recent work deals with the areas of overlap between human communication and technology. Major installations include "The Edison Effect" which uses optics and computers to make new sounds by scanning ancient phonograph records with lasers, "Gray Matter" which uses the interaction of flesh and electricity to make music, "The Messenger" that examines the myths of electricity in communication and recent works such as "RainDance" and "Firebirds" that use fire and water to create the sounds of music and language. Public artworks include large scale interactive installations at Park Tower Hall in Tokyo, at the Olympics in Atlanta and at Expo in Lisbon and an interactive audio environment at the Ft. Lauderdale International Airport. He has been an Artist-in-Residence at The Exploratorium and at Xerox PARC and is currently a Professor of Art at Stanford University in California.

Academic Appointments


  • Professor, Art & Art History
  • Professor (By courtesy), Music

Honors & Awards


  • Golden Nica Award for Interactive Art, Ars Electronic Festival (2006)

Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations


  • Member, The League of Automatic Music Composers, San Francisco, CA (1978 - 1983)
  • Artist in Residence, The Exploratorium
  • Artist in Residence, Xeroc PARC

Professional Education


  • M.F.A., Mills College, Electronic Music and the Recording Media (1973)
  • B.A., Antioch College, Music and Filmaking Interdisciplinary (1971)

2024-25 Courses


Stanford Advisees


All Publications


  • Buried in Noise edited by DeMarinis, P., Beirer, I., Seiffarth, C., Himmelsbach, S. Kehrer Verlag. 2011
  • A Listener's Companion DeMarinis, P. Het Apollohuis Compact Disc (Holland). 1995
  • Music as a Second Language DeMarinis, P. Lovely Music, Ltd. CD. 1991
  • Mind Power DeMarinis, P. Tellus Cassette. 1989
  • I Want You Another Coast: Electronic Music from California DeMarinis, P. Music & Arts CD. 1988
  • Kokole Another Coast: Electronic Music from California DeMarinis, P. Music & Arts CD. 1988
  • Eenie Meenie Chillie Beenie DeMarinis, P. Tellus Cassette. 1985
  • Yellow Yankee DeMarinis, P. Tellus Cassette. 1985
  • She's-a-Wild DeMarinis, P. Record Records RR . 1981
  • If God Were Alive (& He Is) You Could Reach Him by Telephone Lovely Little Records DeMarinis, P. Lovely Music, Ltd. LP. 1980
  • Forest Booties Lovely Little Records DeMarinis, P. Lovely Music, Ltd. LP. 1980
  • Great Masters of Melody Blue DeMarinis, P., Tyranny, G. Lovely Music, Ltd. LP. 1979
  • Great Masters of Melody Just for the Record DeMarinis, P., Tyranny, G. Lovely Music, Ltd. LP. 1979