Louis-Philippe Demers (b.1959, Montreal, Canada)
Artist, researcher and entrepreneur. Graduated in 1981 with a BSc and in 1986 with an MSc from the Department of Computer Sciences at the University of Montreal. For over 20 years, he has been researching the possibilities of interactive technologies in contemporary performance arts, including theatre, opera and ballet. Demers’ works have been showcased in media arts festivals such as: Ars Electronica (Linz), ISEA (Montreal, Chicago), DEAF (Rotterdam), Sonar (Barcelona), SIGGRAPH (Los Angeles), Art Futura (Madrid), ARTEC (Nagoya), EMAF (Osnabruck), TISEA (Sydney), Sonambiente (Berlin), EXPO '92 (Sevilla), EXPO 2000 (Frankfurt) and Lille – Cultural Capital of Europe (2004). His works have been exhibited in international museums, including ZKM (Karlsruhe), the Montreal Science Museum (Montreal), Musee d'Art Contemporain (Soissons), NY Museum of Science (New York), the Musee de la Civilisation de Quebec (Quebec), the Sprengel Museum (Hannover), Musee d'Art Contemporain (Montreal), SchillerHaus Centre (Frankfurt), MGM Grand / Cirque du Soleil (Las Vegas) and Canon Art Lab (Japan). Demers is the author of over 20 art and robotic articles and has delivered lectures in various institutions in the United States and Europe, Asia and Australia. He won first prize in the international competition on ALife VIDA 2.0 (Madrid, 1999), the Interactivity Distinction Award (1996) and three honorary mentions (1995, 2002, 2005) at Ars Electronica (Linz), Lightforms98 Award (New York) as well as two Helpmann Awards (Best New Work, Best Lighting Design, 2006). Between 2001- 2005, Demers was a professor at the Hochschule fur Gestaltung, the academic institution affiliated to the world renowned ZKM (Zentrum fur Kunst und Medientechnologie) in Karlsruhe (Germany).