(image: Les Joynes at Bauhaus, Dessau, Germany)

Les Joynes PhD

Les Joynes (天樂) is a multimedia performance artist and writer and US Department of State Sponsored ZERO1 Arts and Technology Artist. Les is a graduate of Goldsmiths, University of London, and has curated exhibitions in the UK, France, China, Brazil and India and served on the curatorial team for the first Taipei Biennial “Sites of Desire” exhibition at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. Recipient of Fulbright awards for China, Mongolia and India, he recently serves as Senior Scholar at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts and Visiting Associate Professor at Visva Bharati University in India. Les has taught courses on Comparative Modern and Contemporary Art, Site-Specific Art and public art and has lectured at National Taiwan Normal University, National Taipei University of Education, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Peking University, Renmin University, Visva Bharati University and University of the Arts London. Born in California he received his education in the US, UK and Japan. He has a BA (Hons) Fine Art from Central Saint Martins, London; BA (cum laude) from Boston University; MA Fine Art from Goldsmiths, London; MA from Musashino Art University, Tokyo and M.Sc from Boston University and the Vrije Universiteit Brussels Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences. He received his PhD from the Faculty of Art, Environment and Technology, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK and Post-Doctorate in Fine Art from the School of Communications and Arts, University of São Paulo, Brazil.

Exploring new forms of Concrete Poetry

Since 1981, Joynes has explored the relationships between art, performance, poetry and site and draws upon the writing of Walter Benjamin and poetry of Charles Baudelaire as inspiration for experiencing the Modern city as a nomadic wanderer - creating performances and photographs of the everyday - as found-object and found-image experiencing what Honoré de Balzac described as "the gastronomy of the eye". Augusto de Campos (b. 1931), founder of Brazilian Concrete poetry movement inspired Joynes to create sound and performance work in Mongolia (2014-2016) which has led to recent projects in Taiwan as writer-in-residence at National Museum of Taiwanese Literature.

Educated in London at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Goldsmiths, Joynes was Fellow at the University of the Arts London Research Center on Transnational Art, Identity and Nation (TrAIN) at Chelsea College of Art (2015) where he researched models for interfacing with indigenous cultures using collaborative performance which was the focus of his post-doctoral research at the School of Communications and Arts (ECA), University of São Paulo, Brazil (2017).

Land Poetry, London (1993)

In 1993 while at Central Saint Martins College of Art in London Joynes created sound artworks based on the English Pastoral inspired by John Milton (1608-1774) in his epic poem Paradise Lost (1667) and George Orwell (1903-1950) in his book Animal Farm (1945) in which animals are given the faculties of human speech - which opens up the question of humanity’s anthropocentric perspectives.

Indelible Sounds of Color, London (1994)

In 1994, Joynes collaborated with a classical cellist with the London Symphony Orchestra interpreting a stream of colors and shapes which were projected and interpreted as sounds from the cello.

Office Space, Tokyo (1998)

As Monbusho Scholar in Japan, Joynes created photo works on themes of absence photographing abandoned theme parks and amusement centers and a special series on workspaces exploring the personalization of modular workspaces: cubicles, and offices.

Performing a Lost City, Queenstown, Singapore (2009)

As Bauhaus Artist Fellow (CIAM Urbanisme) Program, Joynes created a multimedia performance to explore the sensation of anticipated loss expressed by Singapore residents in the demolition of Queenstown, Singapore’s first planned neighborhood which was constructed in the early 1950s.

Trace (ghost), Singapore, 2009

As one resident explained “We visit Queenstown because it is the last place in Singapore that looks familiar - that is part of our memory - when it disappears, then part of us will disappear”. Working with performers from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brazil and Germany we explored what it would feel like to disappear and we created performances that could be captured by the eye of the camera.

Alien Poetry Society, (2010-present)

In France as founder of Alien Poetry Society, Joynes creates poetic performances from the viewpoint of the non-human. IN 2010 he collaborated with performers from France and Russia to perform a poem by English mystic poet Thomas Traherne (1936-1674) that would explore the awe and wonder of the alien visitor depicted in his Celestial Stranger (Ezard, 2002) - what kind of person would be able to constantly approach our world from a perspective of constant “otherness” where their perceptions of our own human “formed” perceptual world is utterly alien? In these videos we pantomimed ignorance of the meanings and taxonomies of the objects around the subject (the alien).

Such strange kinds of creatures," the visitor exclaims, "Such mysteries and varieties, such never-heard-of colours, such odoriferous and fragrant flowers. "Verily, this star is a nest of angels - this little star, so wide and so full of mysteries."

Farewell (2010), HD Video performance, Alien Poetry Society, France.

Observing the performance Farewell (2010), the spectator is given the opportunity to see through the eyes of the subject; to see things that might be part of a different ordering. Objects that have previously been subsumed formlessly into their surroundings (e.g., trees, grass, the sky, clouds) become form as evoked through an alien taxonomy where some objects are selected for discourse: i.e. a dandelion to which one performer, acting as an alien visitor delivers a long farewell). In another performance, I will miss you (2010)  the performer embraces the invisible visiting entity and weeps. 

Glossolalia, France, South Korea, Brazil (2010-present)

As a pan-lingual project (2010 - present) Glossolalia, is akin to automatic writing as it examines the poetic in failed performance of the spoken word uttered from the unconscious. As an improv-inspired project, Glossolalia features performers imagining telling a story while half awake. While recounting a story in their minds they tell the story as a mule as if sleepily retelling a dream. This work has featured performers from Britain, France, Russia, Germany, Mexico, Brazil and Taiwan. Treignac, France (2010), Seoul Korea (2012), Sao Paulo, Brazil (2012).


Shapeshifter, Khovsgol, Mongolia (2014)

Drawing inspiration from local Tsaatan animistic practices at the border between Mongolia and Siberia, Shapeshifter combines performance with morse code and experimental Techno-traditional Mongolian music - that weaves performance with synthetic variations of traditional Mongolian music with an eerie morse code the intermittently punctuates the score with we…are….human….love…freedom.



Explorations in Concrete Poetry, Sao Paulo, Brazil (2012-2013)

Meeting the Brazilian Concrete Poet Augusto de Campos (b 1931) in New York Joynes began embarking on performances that explored collaborations between sound, installation and performance and with Cid Campos created BronxBronx (2013) a William Burroughs inspired “cut-up” poetry performance.

Interpreting the poetry of Tagore in Santiniketan, West Bengal (2022)

In 2022 Joynes was awarded the Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award and served as Senior Scholar at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts where he studied performance styles across South Asia in particular hand gestures and mudras as used in Bhratatnatyam and Kathakali performance traditions. In Santiniketan Joynes performed the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) and studied performing There the Mind is Without Fear the 35th poem of Gitanjali (1910) as Kathakali Mudra.

Exploration of Naga Tribal Performance, Nagaland (2022)

In 2022 Joynes was hosted by Fulbright and the Highland Institute to conduct research on Naga tribal performance as part of his research on Chokri oral storytelling of the Chakhesang people of Southern Nagaland near the border of Assam and Myanmar. and performance traditions.

Microcosms of Taiwan Changing Cultural Identities (2023)

Interviewing residents in the 17th century village of Ciaotou, Joynes was Kaohsiung Resident Artist at the abandoned Mitsui Sugar Refinery. There he created a new series of works combining photographic image with poems and symbols to explore the layers of colonial past that remain remnant and art sometimes reconstructed.

Future Projects (2024)

Future projects include the Inclusive Biennial (2025) which will explore performances that examine regional identity in South Asia.

Research Focus

  • Concrete Poetry

  • Artist collaboration

  • Modern and Contemporary Arts in Asia

  • Creative explorations of language

Academic Appointments and Research

Columbia University in the City of New York, New York, NY (2009-present)

Research Scholar on art, public diplomacy and international cooperation, Columbia Visiting Scholars and Scientists Program International and Transcultural Education, Teachers College. Member Columbia University Art and Cognition Laboratory.

Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award New Delhi, India (2022)

Research on art, poetry and performance in South Asia

Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts New Delhi, India (2022)

Senior Scholar in Fine Art, Janpada Sampada Division.                  

Visva Bharati University, Department of Philosophy, West Bengal, India (2022-present)

Visiting Professor, Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award                  

Royal University of Bhutan, Bhutan (2024)

Visiting Associate Professor, for workshops on curriculum design and public diplomacy.                  

Renmin University of China, Beijing, China (2013-2019)

Visiting Faculty and Professor of Record Created new courses in the art and new media. Teaching groups of 50 students. Supervised five Teaching Assistants. Public Lectures on intercultural collaboration. 2017 Renmin University Merit Award.

Peking University, Beijing, China (2018-pres)

Visiting Professor in Entrepreneurship in Museums Peking University Cultural Industries Program and Global Engagement Liaison, Peking University Department of Postdoctoral Affairs 

Mongolia State University for Arts and Culture, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (2015-2016)

Visiting Professor, US Department of State Sponsored Field Research Mongolia. ACMS Field Research Fellow (Higher Education Management) Founder American Art Lecture Series. Workshop supervisor Mongolian National University of Education, Ulaanbaatar.

University of the Arts London (UAL), London, UK (2015)

Visiting Fellow, Research Centre for Transnational Art, Identity and Nation (TrAIN). Research on intercultural collaboration in the arts. Supervisor Prof. Toshio Watanabe, Program Founder.

Musashino Art University, Tokyo, Japan (1997-2001)

Lecturer and Monbusho Research Scholar in Asian Art      

California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, California (1988-1989)

Research Assistant in Technology Transfer. Co published “Managing The Technology Transfer Process: The Parallel Learning Mechanism” (Shani and Joynes, 1990) Dankook University Press, Seoul, South Korea.

Research

The Highland Institute, Kohima, Nagaland (2022-present) Fellow researching Naga communities of practice, cultural identities and social welfare.

Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award (2020-2022) Research on South Asian Art, Performance and Ritual and Senior Scholar at Indira Gandhi National Centre forth eArts, New Delhi.

Columbia University, New York, NY (2009-present) Visiting Research Scholar. Course training in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within organizations.Training in Curriculum Design (Teachers College), training in philosophy, art history, religion, entrepreneurship.

US Department of State and Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs,  Washington DC 2020-2021 US Public Diplomacy Projects Colombia

Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC. 2020-2021, Presenter on US-Mongolian cooperation. Fostering intercultural cooperation and research on local diversity and identity in Mongolia.

US Department of State, Washington DC and ZERO1, San Francisco 2019-2019 American Arts Incubator. Workshop training for cross-cultural fieldwork.

Institute for Cultural Industries, Peking University, Beijing, China 2017 Visiting Professor in Cultural Entrepreneurship. Engaged design-thinking and creative skills to teach a master-level entrepreneurship course on cultural entrepreneurship, museums and foundation creation and building cultural organizations.

Fulbright-Hays US Public Diplomacy (Mission China) Award, Beijing, China.2017-2017 Recipient of Fulbright-Hays US Public Diplomacy Award I directed the first US-China collaboration in performance. Supervised filmmaking team creating innovative performances at the Beijing Inside-Out Art Museum featuring US-Chinese performances on the Great Wall of China.

University of Melbourne and Parsons School of Design New York, and Melbourne, Australia 2015-presEditorial Board, ProjectAnywhere, 2015-present Executive member of the Board working with Board-members from the US, UK, Australia, UK, Germany supporting exciting global events, a peer-reviewed journal supporting research and advanced scholarship.

Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain London, UK 2015-pres Member of the Art and Anthropology Committee (Fellow 2015-present) Responsible for scholarly journal review, building international cooperation.

CEC Artslink, New York, NY Artist Selection Committee and Jury 2020 Responsible for selection of artists and art managers from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia within US art museums and cultural organizations.

US Department of State sponsored ACMS Fellowship, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (2016) As Research Fellow initiated, planned and executed the first research on Arts Education in Mongolia. Led research team in Ulaanbaatar and liaised with US Embassy, three national universities and the Mongolian Minister for Culture. Produced comprehensive research supporting cross-cultural exchange between the United States and Mongolia.

Fulbright-Hays US Public Diplomacy Award, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (2014) Recipient of the Fulbright-Hays and CEC ArtsLink Awards to lead an overland expedition to Northern Mongolia to research the nomadic Tsaatan Reindeer herding communities of Northern Mongolia. Led five -member team from Germany and Mongolia. Liaised with Cultural Affairs Specialists at US Department of State and local organizations to produce the first US-Mongolian collaborative performances which featured at Zanabazar National Museum of Fine Art.

Research on performance and local Brazilian cultural identities, shamanism, and ritual (2013) Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics, Sao Paulo, Brazil, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil Workshop on performing identity. Brazilian Museum of Sculpture, Sao Paulo, Brazil

University of Sao Paulo, Brazil (2012) Post-doctoral research on identity and transcultural collaboration in Brazil. Awarded Post-doctorate Escola de Comunicações e Artes, Universidade de São Paulo

Eugene Lang Center for Entrepreneurship, Columbia University, New York, NY (2011) Research in Entrepreneurship at Columbia Business School. Teamed with second year MBA team to advise the Mayor’s Office in the City of New York. Liaising with Accenture and MTV,  led creative initiatives for university involvement in NYC television initiatives. Conceived masterplan for NYC-wide television programming involving four universities and the creation of a sponsored chair for faculty.

Japan Ministry of Education and Culture Scholarship (MEXT), Tokyo, Japan (1997-2001) Conducted research on Japanese culture, aesthetics. Led curatorial and exhibition projects in Tokyo. Rearched new models for undergraduate teaching. Awarded university honors.

Cambridge University Centre for Research in Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities, Cambridge, UK (2015). Presenter on intercultural collaboration. Seminar on intercultural collaboration and performance arts

Young Researchers Conference, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (2015-2016) Conference Chair, 2016. Responsible for Conference with participants from eight countries. Building sustained communities of practice and professional development amongst researchers in the social and life sciences.

Bauhaus Foundation, Dessau, Germany and Singapore  (2008-2009). Producer and Choreographer. Bauhaus Foundation sponsored research on community. Directed performance series inspired by Southeast Asian rituals.              

Nordisk Kunstnarsenter Dale, Norway (2007) Artist selection team. Artist-in-Residence centre funded by Norwegian Ministry of Culture.

Inaugural Taipei Biennial,  Tokyo, Japan (1998) Curatorial Assistant for Inaugural Taipei Art Biennial.

ICO (Tokyo) (1998-2004) Research on genetics, genomics and human healthcare. Contributed to three publications in Japan.

Management Research (Belgium and Germany) (1989-1992) Led research on competitive intelligence and strategy for multinational clients including 3M, Du Pont, General Electric, Dow, Bayer AG and General Motors Europe.

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA (1988-1989) Co published research on systemic models for technology transfer (1990) with leading organizational behavior specialists Dr. Abraham Rami Shani Associate Dean of Faculty and Research at California Polytechnic State University. Graduated top of class in International Strategy.

Boston University and the Vrije Universiteit Brussels Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, Boston and Brussels, Belgium (1986-1988) Advanced training in building cross-cultural cooperation within global organizations (M.Sc. 1988).      

Selected Lectures and Workshops

2025 Building Diversity and Equity into Creative Practices, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Colombo, Sri Lanka,

2024 Models for transforming art education in Mongolia, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York

2022 Rethinking UNESCO Heritage: Expansion of Durga Puja into the Modern Sphere, MassArt, Kolkata, India

2022 Envisioning Youth Mentorship in Nagaland Tribal Communities, Highland Institute, Kohima Nagaland, India

2022 US-Indian collaboration in Education in India, Vista-Bharati University, West Bengal, India 

2022 Imagining the Museum of the Future, Colombo National Museum, Colombo, Sri Lanka

2022 Interdisciplinary practices and artistic research, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

2022 Collaborative arts as public diplomacy, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka

2022 Transforming Artistic Research in Performance, University of Visual and Performing Arts, Colombo, Sri Lanka

2022 Curriculum Design and the Arts (workshop), Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management, Visakh, India

2022 Site Specificity in India, Visva-Bharati University, West Bengal, India

2022 Inspiring Education: engaging young people with global perspectives, Vellammal Schools, Chennai, India

2022 Photography and Memory of Disaster - Tohoku Reframed, Cholamandal Artists Village, Chennai, India

2022 Curating Site Specificity in India, Visva-Bharati University, West Bengal, India

2021 Building Mutual Understanding in Underserved Communities in Colombia, US Exchange Programs.

2020 Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC

2021 Professional Development Workshop for US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Colombia

2020 Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC

2019 ZERO1: American Arts Incubator, San Francisco, CA

2019 Models for Intercultural Collaboration, Beihang University, Beijing, China

2018 Entrepreneurship and Beyond Design Thinking in Creative Industries, Peking University, Beijing

2018 Pioneering Doctoral Research in the Creative Industries, Plenary Keynote, Peking University, Beijing

2018 Art and Social Practice Chair, ProjectAnywhere Conference, Parsons School of Art, New School, New York

2017 Columbia University Global Center Beijing, China

2018 New models for Chinese museum management: Long Museum Shanghai, China

2017 United States Embassy and the Inside-Out Art Museum, Beijing, China

2017 Bard Smolny Program, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences of Saint Petersburg State University, Russia

2017 Inside-Out Art Museum, Beijing, China

2016 Young Researchers Conference, American Center for Mongolian Studies, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

2016 “Intercultural Collaboration Across Borders” College Arts Association, New York              

2015 “The Artist as Interface” Teachers College, Columbia University, New York

2015 “Models for Cross-cultural collaboration in Brazil and Mongolia” Cambridge University, UK

2015 Young Researchers Conference, Mongolian National University for Education, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

2015 Mongolian National University for Art and Culture, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

2015 University of the Arts London Research Centre for Transnational Art, Identity and Nation, London, UK

2014 Zanabazar National Museum of Art, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia    

2014 National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China

2014 College Arts Association Conference, Chicago, IL

2013 Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics, Brazil

2012 Brazilian Museum of Sculpture, Sao Paulo, Brazil

2012 Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, Seoul, South Korea

2011 Columbia University Eugene Lang Center for Entrepreneurship  

2009 Nanyang Academy of Art and LaSalle College of Art, Singapore

2013 Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics and University of Sao Paulo, Brazil

2012 Brazilian Museum of Sculpture, Sao Paulo, Brazil

2012 Kookmin University, Seoul, South Korea

2012 Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, South Korea

2010 Treignac-Projet, Correze, France

2009 La Salle College of Art and Nanyang Academy of Art, Singapore

2009 Bauhaus Foundation, Singapore

2005 University of California Santa Barbara, CA

2001 Otis College of Art, Los Angeles, CA

Education

Les is educated in the US, UK and Japan. He received his PhD (2012), from the Faculty of Art, Environment and Technology, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK; Masters in Fine Art (2001), from Musashino Art University, Tokyo, Japan; Master of Arts (1997), Fine Art, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, UK; Master of Science (1988), Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, Boston University and Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Belgium, Bachelor of Fine Arts (1996, Honours, 1996), Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London, UK an Bachelor of Arts (cum laude, 1986), Boston University, Boston, USA. Other education includes: Post-Doctorate (2017) School of Art and Communications, University of São Paulo, BrazilColumbia University Visiting Scholar and Scientist Program, Columbia University, New York, Visiting Scholar, Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-arts, Paris, France; Mandarin training at National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; and Studio Masterclass, James Rosenquist, Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA


Awards

2022 Fulbright Regional Grant to Sri Lanka (US Department of State)

2022 Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award (US Department of State)

2020 US Department of State, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs Grant for Colombia

2019 US Department of State, American Arts Incubator ZERO1: Art and Technology Artist 

2017 Fulbright Hays US Public Diplomacy China Award

2017 CEC ArtsLink Foundation Grant, St. Petersburg, Russia

2017 Taiwan Ministry of Education (MOE) Language Scholar National Cheng Kung University

2017 Renmin University of China Merit Award for Teaching

2016 Wheatley Foundation Fellow, Birmingham City University, UK

2016 US Department of State Field Research Fellow, American Center for Mongolian Studies

2015 Fellow ,University of the Arts London Research Center on Transnational Art, Identity and Nation

2014 Fulbright Hays US Public Diplomacy Award for Mongolia

2014 CEC ArtsLink Foundation Grant for Mongolia

2009 Queenstown Council, Singapore Citation Award, Singapore

2009 Edwin Austin Abbey Fellowship, National Design Museum, New York

2009 Bauhaus Foundation Fellow, Dessau, Germany

2008 The Nordic Artists Center Fellowship, Norway 

2001 Musashino Art University Selection Award

2001 Japanese Ministry of Education and Culture Scholar (Monbusho) (1998-2001) 

1998 Japanese Ministry of Education and Culture Japanese Language Scholar (1997-1998)

1996 Academic Honours, Central Saint Martins College of Art, London

1995 Erasmus Scholarship, Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-arts, Paris

1995 King Sturge Award for Sculpture, London

Curricula and Syllabi

Engaging GPS to create a geographically dispersed museum (workshop)

Memory and City: capturing Taipei neighborhoods through image and prose (workshop)

Reconceptualizing the Art School of the Future [symposium] 

Evolving Boundaries: Environmental Art from the 1960s to present [syllabus] 

Building Museum Leadership: Coaching Practices in the Creative Industries [workshop]

Engaged Critique in Contemporary Art: expanded concepts of installation [tutorial/critique]

Academic Mentoring to MFA and PhD programs in Fine Art [mentoring]

New Global: Contemporary art and border, identity and the new territorialization of public spaces [panel]

Doctoral Supervision in practice-based research [supervision]

Searching for alternatives to the Modern, Contemporary and the Post-Post Modern: Relocating creative practice [syllabus] 

Artist Professional Practices [workshop and panel] 

Parallel critical developments between the East and West from Modernism to Contemporary [syllabus] 

Curating

Colombo National Museum, Colombo, Sri Lanka (2025)

Bikaner House Museum, New Delhi (2022)

Inside Out Art Museum (2017)

Zanabazar Museum of Fine Art, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (2014)      

Brazilian Museum of Sculpture, Sao Paulo, Brazil (2012)

Treignac Projet, France (2010)

Bauhaus Cities of Tomorrow, Queenstown Singapore (2009)

Bauhaus Cities of Tomorrow, Berlin, Germany (2008)

Networking (100 artists for UK-Japan Cultural Year, 1998), Ebisu, Tokyo, Japan

Inaugural Taipei Biennial, Taipei, Taiwan (1998)

Central Saint Martins and Slade School of Art, London, UK (1994) 

Conferences and Workshops

Taiwan Literature Base, Taipei (2023)

Fulbright Conference, New Delhi, India (2022)

ISEA International Symposium of Electronic Art, Asia Culture Center, Gwangju, Korea (2019)

Session-Chair, ProjectAnywhere Conference, Parson School of Art, New School, New York. (2018) 

Plenary Keynote Speaker on PhD research, School of Art, Peking UNiversity, Beijing (2018) 

Artist-centric practices within the museum, Museum2050, Long Museum, Shanghai (2018)

Co-Chair, Young Researcher Conference, Mongolia (2016)

International Committee, College Art Association conference (2015-present)

Japan Startup NYC, Microsoft, New York (2016)

Presidents Forum on Higher Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York (2016)

Keynote Speaker, Young Researcher Conference Mongolia

National University of Education and the American Center for Mongolian Studies (2015)

Royal Geographical Society Conference, London (2013)

Editorial Committee, ProjectAnywhere Conference, Parsons/ New School, New York (2015)

Panelist, Artists’ Workspaces: Portability, Contingency, Virtuality, 

College Art Association conference, Chicago (2014)

Panelist Going Beyond: Art as Adventure (CAA, Washington, DC) (2018) 

European League of Institutes in the Arts (ELIA) conferences, Seoul (2012) and Vienna (2013).


Selected Publications, Studies and Research

“Memory and Two Cities: Lendingrad and St Petersburg” (2023), University of Indiana Press

“Reclaiming Artists Research” (journal review, 2020), Journal for Artistic Research, Basel

“The Artist-centric model in museums” in Looking to New Institutional Models: China’s Cultural Landscape by Mid-Century, Ching, N and Tanner, L, (eds), Long Museum, Shanghai (2019)

“Emerging models for teaching”, New York: Critical Practices (2019)

“The Artist as Explorer,” in Going Beyond: Art as Adventure (2018) O’Neill et al (eds.), Newcastle, UK: Cambridge Scholars.

Interfacing Technology with Site (2019) ISEA International Symposium of Electronic Art, Korea

DrawnOver: Contemporary Drawing, Vojvodina, Serbia: Museum of Contemporary Art [catalogue]. (Joynes and Vu, 2018).

“The Artist Explorer: FormLaboratory: Geographically Dispersed Performance in Brazil (2012-2013) and Mongolia (2014)” Sao Paulo, Brazil: Escola de Comunicações e Artes, Universidade de São Paulo [post-doctoral thesis]. 

Anywhere v.1. (2015). Lowry, S. and Douglas, S. (eds.),Melbourne, Australia: University of Melbourne and New York: Parsons School of Art, Media and Technology, Parsons, New School for Design, New York. 

“The Artist as Explorer,” Washington D.C.: College Arts Association Conference            

Les Joynes and Thomas Vu in Interview” in Draw: Artists from China at  Inside Out Art Museum, New York: LeRoy Neiman Foundation [catalogue].    

“FormLaboratory” in Art and Research at the Outermost Limits of Site Specificity (2014) Lowry, S and Douglas, S. (eds.). Newcastle, Australia: Univ. of Newcastle. Joynes, L. (2014).“Nomadic and Geographically Dispersed Practice,” Chicago: College Arts 

New Institutional Models: China’s Cultural Landscape by Mid-Century, Long Museum, China (2018)

Going Beyond: Art as Adventure, O’Neill, R et al (eds), Cambridge Scholars, UK (2018)

“The Invisible and the Transvisible in contemporary art in Singapore,” in Octopus, Journal for Visual Culture: University of California, Irvine

"Multi-spatial Performance: at Bauhaus-Dessau, November 2008:  Record Dances, Bühnenstudios der Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau [Internet].

Taking the LEED: Examining the costs and benefits of environmental efficiencies,  New York (2007)

“Intelligence, technologies and applications to genomics” Legislation of genetic testing in the US and Iceland: Legislative Implications and strategies, Tokyo, Japan

Ethics and Genetic population testing - engineering best practices in the US and Iceland (2004)

Bringing Intelligence to the technological interface between technology and interface in Japan (2003)  

Clinical research development in human aging sciences, Tokyo, Japan (2003)

The Human Genome: Areas of Light and Shadow (E.Kon et al, Shokabo Publishing, Tokyo 2001)

“Some Say They Did: Some Say They Didn’t, Contemporary Art of Yoshitomo Nara at Ginza Art Space” New York: Art in America.

“The New Pathetic. Contemporary British art in the 1990s,”Vienna: Springer.

Scientific Journal Editing, Tohoku University, Japan.   

”Managing The Technology Transfer Process: The Parallel Learning Mechanism (with A. Shani) , Seoul: Dankook University Press.

The New Pathetic: Contemporary Art in London, Springer [magazine], Hamburg, Germany (1997)

“Emerging materials applications in sound: use of polycarbonates and semiconductors for digital audio” Brussels (1991) 

Joynes et al (1991) “Resourcing Tetra-butyl hydro-peroxide for radical polymerization Initiators, Brussels.

Competitive Strategies in Fiber-optic technologies, Brussels (1990)        

”Radiative mineral spectrometry and refraction technologies,” Brussels (1990)      

“Petroleum and derivatives competitive Analysis:Europe,” Brussels (1990)

“Introducing eco-recyclables into manufacturing” Brussels (1990)

“Post-Graduate Management Education Programs, Boston University (1987)

Juries and Editorial Boards

CEC ArtsLink Jury Reviewer for Artists, New York (2021)

CEC ArtsLink Jury Reviewer for Art Managers, Curators, New York (2021)

Editorial Board Member for ProjectAnywhere [journal] University of Melbourne and Parsons School of Art, New York (2015-preent)

Art and Anthropology Committee, Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain, London (2020-present)

Nordic Artist Center, Selection Committee, Norway (2008)

Harlem Arts Alliance Grant Selection Jury, New York (2010)

Artist Residencies

Kio-A-Thau Artist-in-Residence, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (2023)

Writers Fellow at the National Museum of Taiwanese Literature, Taipei, Taiwan (2023)

Inside Out Art Museum, Beijing (2018) 

CEC-Arts Link, St. Petersburg, Russia (2017)

Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado, São Paulo, Brazil (ResArtis, 2013)

Seoul Foundation for Art and Culture, Seoul, Korea (ResArtis, 2012)

FormLAB, Brazilian Museum of Sculpture (2012) 

Treignac Projet, France (2010)

Toosneger Foundation-Dordrecht Printmaking and Painting Residency, Holland (2008) 

Abbey Fellowship in Public Art, National Academy Museum, New York (2009)

Nordic Artists Center (NKD), Dalsasen, Norway (ResArtis, 2008)

Nagasawa Woodblock Printmaking Fellowship, Awaji, Japan (2006)

Poznan Summer Academy Residency, Poznan, Poland (1993 and 1994)

Recent Lectures

2018 ProjectAnywhere Conference, Parsons School of Art

2017 Columbia University Global Center Beijing

2018 Artist Centric Collaboration in Museums of the Future, Long Museum, Shanghai, China

2017 FormLAB China, Inside-Out Art Museum, Beijing, China

2016 Pulse/ Play, Pulse Art Fair and The Cultivist, New York

2016 Co-Chair Young Researchers Forum, American Center for Mongolian Studies, Mongolia

2016 The Artist as Explorer, College Arts Association Conference            

2015 Cambridge University, Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities

2015 Artist as interface, Columbia University Teachers College

2015 Cambridge University Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities

2015 Mongolian National University of Education (2015)

2015 Mongolian National University for Art and Culture, Ulaanbaatar

2015 University of the Arts London

2014 Zanabazar National Museum of Art, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia     

2014 National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China

2014 College Arts Association Conference, Chicago

2014 US Embassy, Mongolia

2013 Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics, Brazil

2012 Brazilian Museum of Sculpture, , Sao Paulo, Brazil

2012 Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, Seoul, South Korea

2012 Contemporary archeology and the artist, Kookmin University, Seoul

2011 Columbia University Eugene Lang Center for Entrepreneurship

2010 Treignac-Project, France      

2009 Lasalle College of Art, Singapore

2009 Nanyang Academy of Art, Singapore

2006 University of California Santa Barbara (2005,2006)

Publications and Papers in Technology and Sciences

Joynes, L. et al (2007) “Environmental Systems and Cost Analysis for LEED Manufacturing-Competitive Strategies, New York. 

Joynes, L. (2004) “Bringing Intelligent IT interface to human healthcare” Legislation of genetic testing in the US and Iceland: Legislative Implications and Strategies.     

Joynes, L .(2003) “Clinical research development in human aging” Tokyo, Japan.        

Joynes, L. (1998) Scientific Journal Editing, Tohoku University, Japan.   

Joynes, L. (1991) “Emerging materials applications in sound: use of polycarbonates and semiconductors for digital audio” Brussels, Belgium,    

Joynes, L. (1991) “Resourcing Tetra-butyl hydro-peroxide for radical polymerization initiators Brussels, Belgium.

Joynes, L, and Shani, A (1990)” Managing The Technology Transfer Process: The Parallel Learning Mechanism, Seoul, Korea: Dankook University Press.

Joynes, L. (1990) Competitive Strategies and Climate in Transnational fiber-optic technologies, Brussels.           

Joynes, L.(1990) ” Radiative mineral spectrometry and refraction technologies”. Brussels.       

Joynes, L. (1989) “Petroleum and derivatives competitive analysis:Europe”, Brussels.

Joynes, L. (1989) Introducing eco-recyclables into automobile manufacturing” Brussels. 

Joynes, L. (1987) “Survey on European Post-Graduate Education Programs, Boston University.