“What makes [Cat Jones’] artworks or art experiences important is the capacity to experience as a community, large or small, a shift in thinking.”

Prudence Gibson and Monica Gagliano, The Feminist Plant

Cat Jones is an award winning artist, writer, researcher, and all round creatrix with over 30 years experience.

Her investigations centre on subjugated knowledge with experiments in revelation and transformation through the subversion of social constructs, history, science, language and the senses.  Known for her immersive, art-science experiences and social engagement, she creates performance, illusion, site-specific, audio, olfactory and edible art in collaboration with neuroscientists, physiotherapists, biologists, botanists, entomologists and gastronomists.

She is a creative comrade of pvi collective (AUS), and part of the self-organisation of MASSIA (EE). She collaborates and performs with experimental groups including Blast Theory (UK), fo.am (BE), Chicks on Speed (AUS/EU), The League of Imaginary Scientists (USA), ANAT and Experimenta (AUS). Major commissions include Sydney Festival, Proximity Festival, The WIRED Lab, and Vitalstatistix.

As an author her work spans creative, critical and scientific writing. She is published in realtime, CSPA, Leonardo, Musculoskeletal Science and Practice Journal and The Conversation – for which her co-authored Health and Medicine article received over 1 million reads in 24 hours.  As a public speaker she presents at international interdisciplinary conferences, symposiums and other events.

She learnt the art of experimental perfumery with the Institute of Art and Olfaction as part of her ongoing research into sensory communication and plant signalling, since creating a number of olfactory artworks as artist and perfumer and receiving the 2016 Sadakichi Art and Olfaction Award.

Previously, Jones was Artistic Director / CEO of PACT centre for emerging artists, and Co-Director then inaugural Chairperson of Electrofringe, international festival of electronic arts and culture. Her cultural leadership includes regular roles on assessment, selection and advisory panels for local, national and international government and NGO organisations. She is an experienced director, producer and events manager with expertise in festivals, grants, business strategy and financial management.

Jones has a Bachelor of Arts – Drama from Queensland University of Technology and has done extensive professional development across experimental performance, writing, art and science including The Kitchen (NY) with Bill T Jones and Laurie Anderson, Troika Ranch Dance Theatre; Time_Place_Space_1 (Wagga Wagga), Wendy Houston; Proximity Lab; Gen-Space (NY); SymbioticA (WA), The Wellcome Collection (UK) and many more.

Jones is recognised as a research affiliate with Sansom Institute, Body and Mind, University of South Australia, is alumni of SymbioticA and ANAT’s Synapse residencies, is a Creative Industries Resident with Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Powerhouse NSW and is the recipient of numerous awards, grants including a Creative Australia Fellowship 2012, a Create NSW Performing Arts and Music Fellowship 2018/2019 and in 2021 The Australia Council Award for Emerging and Experimental Arts.

Image credit photograph © Cat Jones 2016, design frame © Heath Killen, In Wild Air 2017.