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'Jon Adams is one of the most outstanding people I have had the pleasure of meeting and knowing. He has an unusual inborn capacity for uniting in himself so many facets of his daily sensory experience. What for others could be an excess of impressions he has mastered, in design, in music, in writing and has developed a deep urge to be directly useful to others in sharing his discoveries’

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Sir Peter Brook. 4.11.2014

Jon Adams CV

Jon Adams B.Sc Hons FRSA

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Artist: As a self taught autistic artist & polymath I work cross-platform, including digital and analogue image making, illustration, sound, performance, written and spoken word whilst always referencing my autism, synaesthesia & dyslexia plus including autobiography, science and hidden metaphor. The result is a unique visual perspective of systemising and recording history, time and place. Having studied geology at Kings College London becoming a geological book illustrator, later branching out into history and conceptual artwork. My national profile includes creating work across a wide range of genres and organisations from Parliament to the Autism Research Centre Cambridge, London2012 and with Sir Peter Brook. I am especially interested and have been commissioned to make socially engaged art and also do not shy away from making socially challenging work.

 

Advisory: In my work I also advise organisations, museums and campaign on parity in the arts for autistic artists & neurodiversity, I have advised museums such as the Imperial War Museum their Victoria Cross and WW1 galleries (autistic and dyslexic friendly). I am also artistic director of the first Neurodivergent equality & diversity charity ‘Flow Observatorium’ calling for parity and recognition of neurodiversity within the arts (Arts Council England start up) and our Neurodivergent Artist Manifesto released in 2017 is now being used internationally. We have also researched and written a report for Arts Council England on ‘Barriers to engagement in the arts for Neurodivergent people’ in 2021.

 

Governance: I was part of Arts Councils governance for South East & South West regions serving 2 terms between 2009-2016 as artist specialising in Digital arts, ND & disability inclusion and diversity. 

 

Research: As a research fellow, I have been published in papers on peer participation in the arts and  ‘autism research’ and I am interested in wellbeing and Mental health of Neurodivergent artists.

 

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Below is a condensed select list of my projects commissions and awards from the last 15 years.

For full CV, please click here

 

  • ‘Flow unlocked’  Artist & zoom poetry workshop leader: ‘Trellis Project’ with UCL Engagement Autistic creatives in East London: 2020/21

 

  • ‘Singing in the building’ Commissioned site specific transformed images & sound installation for ‘Alternate languages - confronting boundaries’ Festival Royal Academy March 2019.

 

  • Democracy Street: 2015-2019 Speakers Art Fund Parliament commission: digital national engagement public art project for Magna Carta with 'Parliament in the Making 2015’

 

  • ‘Konfirmation Systemisation’: Wellcome Trust Artist in Residence at the Autism Research Centre Cambridge digital imagery, poetry, sound and video 2012 – 2013

 

  • ‘Look About’: 2010-2016 GFTA/ Accentuate Commission, Cultural Olympiad in South East with British Geological Survey 2011-2015.

 

  • 2Point4: Leverhulme Artist in Residence at the ‘Institute for Cosmology and Gravitation’ University of Portsmouth 2008.

 

  • ‘Changing the face of autism research’ Wellcome Trust funded: Kings College London: Lead Sound Artist & podcaster 2018-19

 

  • ‘Games with the Water Horse’ Performance Commissioned by Venice Agendas for Venice Biennale 2015.
     

  • ‘Valley of Astonishment’: play consultant synaesthesia/savant memory, headhunted by Sir Peter Brook for production: premiered Paris shown internationally London 2014.
     

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