Nationality UK Occupation Artist Website www.donebauer.net Role Artist | Education B.Sc and MA Years active 1974 to present Name Peter Donebauer | |
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Alma mater University of Manchester, Royal College of Art | ||
Peter Donebauer (1947) is a British artist specializing in video, moving image and associated businesses. Early in his career Donebauer invented the Videokalos colour synthesizer, and was given the description “electronic painter” through his use of the device and other video art techniques. He also toured the UK with the group Video And Music Performers (VAMP), which he founded in 1979. In 1983 Donebauer cofounded Diverse Production, one of the UK’s first independent television production companies, and served as executive chairman of the company until its sale in 2004.
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Education and awards
After receiving an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Manchester University, Donebauer graduated from the Royal College of Art with an MA in 1973. The following year Donebauer produced the video art work Entering, which was the first video piece commissioned by the BBC, and broadcast on BBC2’s program Second House. His work Struggling was broadcast in 1976 by the BBC program Arena. He worked with using multiple RCA colour television cameras in the creation of live video art. Following his graduation, Donebauer received funding from the UK Arts Council to continue with his video work, and in 1974 was the first recipient of the ACE video arts award.
Videokalos colour synthesizer
In 1975/76, Donebauer partnered with Richard Monkhouse to develop the Videokalos colour synthesizer. This instrument allowed for many potential layers of images, and allowed new colours to be added to the imaging. He created a portable version of it, and began using it in collaborations with musicians and dancers. The device allowed “video” to be “played live”, rendering “monochrome images and internally generated patterns into vividly coloured abstractions”. This work led to Donebauer to be named the “electronic painter”.
Video works
Using his techniques and devices, Donebauer created other commissioned works including Struggling, a part of his Arts Council award produced in 1974, and three works commissioned by the British Film Institute: Circling and Teeming in 1975, and Dawn Creation in 1976. Between 1981 and 1982, he produced The Water Cycle and in 1991 he produced Mandala. In 1975, Donebauer was a part of the first major international independent video exhibition to take place in the UK.
Video and Music Performers
In 1979 Donebauer founded the Video And Music Performers (VAMP), which provided live interactive performances between video and music performers. He, musician Simon Desorgher and others, conducted a national tour composed of these performances that year.
Diverse Production
Donebauer cofounded Diverse Production in 1982 with David Graham. Diverse Production independently produced television series that appeared on UK television networks, such as Channel 4’s current affairs shows The Friday Alternative and Diverse Reports. The company then expanded into arts, reality television, music shows, and documentary programming. Donebauer served as the executive chairman of the company from 1997 until 2004, when Diverse was sold to Fact Based Communications.
Other works
Donebauer is a trustee of the British Holistic Medical Association.