Born: Oxford, England. 23rd March 1966

Contact Address:

The University of Salford
Research Centre for Art & Design
Centenary Building
Peru Street
Salford
Greater Manchester M3 6EQ.
United Kingdom

Tel: 0044 161 295 6149

Fax: 0044 161 295 6174

eMail: p.sermon@salford.ac.uk

Biography:

Born in Oxford, England, 1966. Studied BA Hon's Fine Art degree under Professor Roy Ascott at The University of Wales, from September 1985 to June 1988. Post-graduate MFA degree at The University of Reading, England, from Oct 1989 to June 1991. Awarded the Prix Ars Electronica "Golden Nica", in the category of interactive art, for the hyper media installation "Think about the People now", in Linz, Austria, September 1991. Worked as an Artist in Residence and produced the ISDN video conference installation "Telematic Vision" at the Center for Arts and Mediatechnology (ZKM) in Karlsruhe, Germany, from February to November 1993. Received the "Sparkey Award" from the Interactive Media Festival in Los Angeles, for the telepresent video installation "Telematic Dreaming", In June 1994. Reader in Creative Technology at The University of Salford, Research Centre for Art & Design, Manchester, England, since June 2000.

Education:

Master of Fine Arts.
October 1989 to June 1991, Department of Fine Art, The University of Reading, Berkshire, England

Bachelor of Arts with Honors.
September 1985 to June 1988, Newport School of Fine Art, The University of Wales College Newport, Gwent, Wales

Diploma in Art & Design Studies.
September 1984 to June 1985, Department of Art and Design, Bedford College of Higher Education, Bedford, England

Academic Positions:

Reader in Creative Technology
June 2000 to date, The University of Salford, Research Centre for Art & Design, Manchester, England

Guest Professor for Performance and Environment
March 1998 to date, Archimedia Institute, Hochschule fuer kuenstlerische und industrielle Gestaltung in Linz, Austria

External Examiner.
February 1999 to June 2001, Department of Interactive Arts, The University of Wales College Newport, Gwent, Wales

Associate Professor for Telematic Media.
October 1993 to September 1999, Fachbereich Medienkunst, Hochschule fuer Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig, Germany

Artist in Residence.
February 1993 to November 1993, Institut fuer Bildmedien, ZKM - Zentrum fuer Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe, Germany

Lecturer for Telematic Arts.
September 1989 to December 1992, Newport School of Fine Art, The University of Wales College Newport, Gwent, Wales

Lecturer for Interactive Media Arts.
October 1991 to June 1992, Department of Fine Art, The University of Reading, Berkshire, England

Prizes & Awards:

Nomination for the ZKM/SWR International Media Art Prize 2000.
Karlsruhe, Germany Oct 2000. For A Body of Water - produced for Connected Cities Duisburg in June 1999.

Honorary Mention Prix Ars Electronica.
Linz, Austria, September 2000. For A Body of Water - produced for Connected Cities Duisburg in June 1999.

Interactive Media Festival Sparky Award.
Los Angeles, June 1994. For Telematic Dreaming - produced in Finland in June 1992.

Honorary Mention Prix Ars Electronica.
Linz, Austria, June 1993. For Telematic Dreaming - produced in Finland in June 1992.

Golden Nica Award Prix Ars Electronica.
Linz, Austria, Sept 1991. For Think about the people now - produced at The University of Reading in June 1991.

Slade School of Art Boise Scholarship.
London, May 1991. For Think about the people now - produced at The University of Reading in June 1991.

La Fete de l'image Second prize.
Lille, France, April 1990. For Monsters of the Deep - produced at Gwent School of Fine Art in January 1990.

Jury Participation:

Transmediale 97 Prize - The Berlin Video Festival, March 1997

ORF Prix Ars Electronica 99 - Catgory of Interactive Art  - Linz, Austria, September 1999

Work in Permanent Collections:

ZKM Media Museum in Karlsruhe, Germany - September 1999 - The Tables Turned

National Museum of Photography Film & Television in Bradford, England - April 1999 - Telematic Dreaming

Museum for Communication in Bern, Switzerland - February 1999 - Telematic Vision

Works & Exhibitions:

There's No Simulation Like Home - This particular installation will link two identical architectured spaces between telepresent video conference techniques, each space contains several rooms representing the interior of a traditional terraced house. Monitored by web cams, security cams and video conference systems the two separate audiences/users will be able to co-inhabit the same virtual telepresent living environment. Thereís No Simulation Like Home is an installation commissioned for the Event Coast exhibitions co-organised by Lighthouse and BN1 in Brighton UK. In association with the Fabrica Gallery Brighton and Hastings Art Gallery & Museum, November/December 1999.

A Body of Water - Waschkaue Ewald/Schlaegel und Eisen II - A site-specific telematic installation linking the shower room of the Ewald/Schlaegel und Eisen mine in Herten with the Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum in Duisburg. The images of visitors in the shower room in Herten are mixed with images of the Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum visitors in Duisburg and appear on one side of a water screen. Historical film footage of miners showering are projected onto the other side of the water screen. Realised in collaboration with Andrea Zapp for the Connected Cities Exhibition, Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum Duisburg in Germany, June 20th to August 1st 1999 (catalogue printed).

The Tables Turned - A Telematic Scene on the Same Subject - A live telematic installation, linking two remote sites via 3 x 64K ISDN telephone lines. Two distant users sitting at separate tables observe a video image of themselves sitting at the same table with the user from the other distant site. Eight draws are located around each table top containing objects that enhance and suggest possible means of intimate communication between the users. The installation title is drawn from William Wordsworths 18th century poem of the same name, as a critique of the romanticists world view. This installation was produced for the ZKM Media Museum and exhibited at the ZKM Multimedial 5 in Karlsruhe, Germany, October 1997. This installation has since been exhibited:

Heaven 194.94.211.200 - (http://194.94.211.200) - "Suppose we told you about a machine that receives live images from Heaven - would you believe us ? and if we said you can connect to this machine via a CU-SeeMe reflector - would you try it ? Can you believe in a machine that connects you to the globe any more than a machine that connects you to heaven ? In the latter part of 1996 a group of international scientists were successful in developing such a machine. The output of this classified technology has now been made available for public viewing via the Internet. A CU-SeeMe reflector 194.94.211.200 will now bring live images of Heaven directly to your computer screen." Internet Project in collaboration with Joachim Blank, at the Hochschule fuer Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig, Germany 1997.

Telematic Encounter - A live telematic installation, linking two remote sites via 3 x 64K ISDN telephone lines. Two distant users sitting at separate tables observe a video image of themselves sitting at the same table with the user from the other distant site. Beside each table the user will find a set of draws that contain objects suggesting possible narrative communication that can unfold between them, referring to the melodrama of the early silent cinema. This installation was produced for the SPEED exhibition at Tullie House Art Gallery in Carlisle, England, March to April 1996.

The Disappearing Act - A live telematic/video based installation linking two remote installations into the same virtual telepresent scene. A live stage set is projected onto the curtain of another stage allowing the separate gallery audiences to interact with each other on the same telematic stage. This piece was produced as a site specific installation between two exhibition galleries for the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, England, October 1995.

Telematic Vision - A live telematic video installation, linking two remote sites, via 3 x 64K ISDN telephone lines. The users sit on two separate sofas to watch a "TV" image of themselves mixed together with the users on the other sofa, and so become the voyeurs of their own "TV" spectacle. This installation was produced in an Artist in residence programme at the Zentrum fuer Kunst und Medientechnologie (ZKM) in Karlsruhe, Germany, for The ZKM Multimediale 3 exhibition, November 1993. This installation has since been exhibited:

The Telematic Séance - A live telematic video installation, linking two remote sites, via a 2MB ISDN telephone line. The video image of a user/performer sitting at a séance table is sent to a video projector and projected onto another séance table. A camera, situated next to the projector, sends an image of the projection back to monitors around the first table. The installation discusses the analogy between the 19th century science of the supernatural and the telematic technology of the present. This installation was linked between OTSO Gallery and Helsinki Telegalleria for The Muu Media Festival 93, Finland, April 1993 (catalogue printed).

Telematic Dreaming - A live telematic video installation, linking two remote sites, via a 2MB ISDN telephone line. The video image of a user/performer lying on a bed is sent to a video projector and projected onto another bed. A camera, situated next to the projector, sends an image of the projection back to monitors around the first bed. The complex semiology of the bed heightens the experience of telepresence. This installation was originally produced for the "Koti" exhibition at the Kajaani Art Gallery in the north of Finland, linked to the Helsinki Telegalleria, in June 1992. The installation has since been exhibited:

Think about the people now - A Commodore Amiga hyper-media computer programme, based on the theme of a media reported event from the 1990 Remembrance Ceremony in Whitehall, London. A young man ran out from the crowd and set fire to himself and shouted the words "think about the people now" in protest against the ceremony. The media account that followed discussed the event in extreme trivial terms, failing to report anything but minor details and accounting only for the stress felt by the Royal Family and Politicians present. The Amiga hyper-media programme recreates the event through the media reports, trivializing and critiquing the British press. This work was produced as part of the final MFA degree show for The University of Reading in 1991. The piece has since been exhibited at: Texts Bombs and Videotape - A 24 hour fax, E-mail and SlowScan TV event presented as a telematic workstation between Newport School of Fine Art in the UK, The Hochschule fuer angewandte Kunst in Vienna and the Digital Art Exchange in Pittsburgh, USA. As a critique of the Gulf War media coverage for the Watershed Media Center in Bristol, England, March 1991.

The Globe Show- Two week fax and E-mail event and telematic workstation between Fine Art students from Newport School of Fine Art in the UK and international artist, scientists and academics. For the Oldham Art Gallery Manchester, England, Nov 1990.

Earth Signals - A telematic "leaf shaped" installation structure housing six Commodore Amiga computers displaying image files, received via E-mail from Artists throughout the UK, for the Omphalos Gallery in Swiss Cottage London, England, June to August 1990.

The Echoes of Ambiguity within Electronic Space - A series of image files produced on a Commodore Amiga computer that were derived from ambiguous compositions of language representation - whilst being abstract yet representational of reality at the same time. This work was produced as part of the final BA Hons degree show for Newport School of Fine Art in 1988. The work has since been exhibited at:

Cultura Digitalis - Contributing telematic artist for an E-mail based computer networking project for the Hochschule fuer angewandte Kunst in Vienna, Austria, June 1987 (catalogue printed).

Le Palais Ideal - Telematic workstation by Fine Art Students from Newport School of Fine Art for the 1st Biennial Festival of European Art Schools, Toulouse, France, April 1987 (catalogue printed).

Essays:

From Telematic Man to Heaven 194.94.211.200 - By Paul Sermon 1997

Paul Sermon - Holder of ZKM stipend 1993 - By Margaret Morse 1996

A Topology of Body and Space - By Machiko Kusahara 1995

Paul Sermon in Interview - Ars Electronica Center 1997

Real Video Streams - Project Documentaries:

Telematic Dreaming - Telematic Vision - The Tables Turned

Download Real Player from http://www.real.com/products/player/

Quick Time Videos - Project Documentaries:

There's No Simulation Like Home

A Body of Water

The Tables Turned - A Telematic Scene on the Same Subject

Telematic Encounter

Telematic Vision

Telematic Dreaming

Think about the people now