Robert V. Kieronski

1941, Newport (Rhode Island, U.S.); lives in Newport

In 1963, Robert Kieronski earned a B.A. in electrical engineering from Lehigh University (Bethlehem, Penn., U.S.) and joined Bell Telephone Laboratories (Murray Hill, N.J., U.S.) the same year. At that time, his research focused primarily on digital information processing systems. In 1967, he earned a master’s degree from the Stevens Institute of Technology (Castle Point, N.J., U.S.). In the mid 1960’s, he designed the Vochrome – a device producing an electronic signal (audio or visual) from analog audio input (musical instrument, voice). Kieronski placed this instrument at the disposal of David Tudor for his performance Bandoneon! (a combine). He also contributed to the construction of the system used by Alex Hay to amplify biological data in Grass Field. Kieronski left Bell Laboratories in 1967 and soon began researching the optical translation of electronic signals with artist and author Jack Burnham. He then joined Arp Instruments, Inc., where he built prototypes for the Arp 21000 synthesizer. His involvement with artists did not end, however, for he co-founded the Art and Technology Group Inc. in Boston in the 1970’s. In 1974, he worked as an engineer in the laboratories of the United States Navy. Although his research in the plastic arts has extended over several decades, his efforts since 1997 have largely focused on the design of computer-driven kinetic light installations.

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