Stephen Raoul Jones BSc, PhD is an Australian video artist, electronics engineer, theorist, curator, and archivist. A “navy brat” educated in England, Australia, and the United States, he has been a pioneer of video art in Australia since 1974, developing custom analog video synthesizers for artistic production and live performances. From 1983 to 1992, he was a principal member of the influential electronic/industrial band Severed Heads (alongside founder Tom Ellard), pioneering the integration of real-time video synthesis as a core element of stage production—one of the first bands worldwide to do so. He designed and performed live video synthesis synced to the music, created and edited music videos and clips (using his synthesizers alongside Ellard’s Amiga graphics and animations), and toured extensively with the band across Australia, North America, and Europe, turning shows into multimedia events blending electronic sound, visuals, and experimental imagery. This collaboration produced iconic works like A Million Angels (1986) and live performances that fused industrial/noise roots with synth-pop and psychedelic visuals. He also authored the seminal history Synthetics: Aspects of Art and Technology in Australia, 1956–1975 (MIT Press, Leonardo Book Series, 2011). He continues to digitize, restore, and archive early Australian video and electronic art through Stephen Jones and Associates, while maintaining the website the-synthetic-image.com on the history of electronic art, computing, and computer graphics in Australia.
- 2006–present: Ongoing digitization, restoration, and archiving of early Australian video art; development and maintenance of the website the-synthetic-image.com; custom electronics design for interactive installations and museum controllers (e.g., multi-DVD synchronizers for rea, Debra Petrovitch, Mike Parr); contributions to ongoing online series Aspects of the history of Electronic Art in Australia via ARI Remix / EXTRA ZINE.
- 2023: Presented paper A Personal History of New Media Art in Australia at RE:SOURCE – 10th International Conference on the Histories of Media Art, Science and Technology (Venice, September 2023).
- 2020: Curated Cognitive Dissidents: Reasons to be Cheerful at Griffith University Art Museum, Brisbane (curator talk February 22, 2020); contributed new essay and artist biographies to the publication.
- 2017: Retrospective exhibition of video works (1975–2008) at Sydney Non Objective (SNO) gallery, Marrickville (SNO 123, 13 May–4 June), featuring analog video synthesis, feedback works (Mandala), dance collaborations (White Norse, Purple Dress), and music/video integrations with Severed Heads and SPK.
- 2013: Guest curator for This is Video exhibition at Artspace, Sydney, as part of ISEA 2013 (19th International Symposium on Electronic Art), featuring early Australian video works by artists including Pam Brown, Warren Burt, Peter Callas, David Chesworth, Bush Video collective, and others.
- 2008–2009: Assistant curator at Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, contributing to the Information and Communications Technologies collection.
- 2005: Technical support and software installation for Stelarc’s Prosthetic Head (Sherman Gallery, Sydney); teaching at University of Western Sydney; DVD controller implementation for Mike Parr performance (Artspace).
- 2004: Technical curator, exhibition design, and conservation for Nam June Paik & Charlotte Moorman exhibition (AGNSW), including TV Cellos and TV Buddha; developed multi-DVD synchronizer for rea’s gins leap_dub speak; controller for Debra Petrovitch’s Anita project (presented at ISEA 2004); papers on digital art aesthetics, interaction theory, and computing incunabula.
- 2003: Exhibition of Constructed Memories (large-scale digital photo collages as scrolls) at Stills Gallery, Sydney.
- 2002: Electronics design for artists’ interactive projects; continued research on Australian electronic arts history; papers at Consciousness Reframed IV (Perth) and Computer Art Congress (Paris).
- 2000–2001: Re-established Component Digital for arts technical support; installed Pico_Scan (Sommerer & Mignonneau) at Sieben Hügel, Berlin; presented at ALife 7 (Oregon), Consciousness Reframed III (Wales), ISEA 2000 (Paris, where he presented “Synthetics: A History of the Electronic Image in Australia”); produced visual layer for Sinfonye/Hildegard von Bingen performance (Brandenburg Dom); returned to ATR (Japan) for Riding the Net interface.
- 1999–2000: Built custom electronics at ATR (Kyoto) for Christa Sommerer & Laurent Mignonneau (Haze Express, Pico_Scan); The Reading Machine shown at IMA (Brisbane) as National Digital Art Awards finalist; Severed Heads retrospective videos for Powerhouse Museum; papers on consciousness, artificial life, and virtual reality.
- 1998: New Media Arts Fellowship for The Brain Project; curated Synthetics symposium (dLux Media Arts/Powerhouse Museum) on electronically generated image history in Australia; exhibited The Reading Machine: Towards the Realisation of Charles’ and Ada’s Future (Artspace, Sydney).
- 1996–1998: Developed The Brain Project website (surveying consciousness in philosophy, neuroscience, cybernetics, and AI); led Brain Project Forums (Performance Space).
- 1994–1998 / 2000–2001: Established / re-established Component Digital; video design for MCA exhibitions (Kaboom! Animation, Sound in Space); technical support for artists Robyn Backen (Morse-code works, Sydney Airport) and Rebecca Cummings.
- 1989–1994: Engineering at Pro-Image/Apocalypse: built Australia’s first fully digital TV post-production facility; rebuilt Nam June Paik’s TV Cello and TV Buddha (1990) for John Kaldor.
- 1982–1992: Founded and ran Heuristic Video (independent production facility for experimental art/video); senior editor, effects designer; as principal member of Severed Heads (1983–1992), created and edited music videos/clips, performed live video synthesis during tours across Australia, North America, and Europe, blending electronic music with real-time visuals.
- 1981: Video games industry technician (Leisure and Allied Industries).
- 1979–1981: Co-curated (with Bernice Murphy) Videotapes from Australia—major touring exhibition to North America, AGNSW (Project 30), Venice Biennale 1980; travelled with exhibition, installing and speaking at venues.
- 1978: Curated VideOzone—first major Australian video exhibition using video projection in a cinema (Ozone Cinema, Paddington Town Hall, July).
- 1977: Produced Open Processes video production and performance installation system (Watters Gallery, February); participated in Video Spectrum (La Trobe University, Melbourne, September).
- 1976–1981: Learned video editing and technical production at Bush Video and Paddington Video Access Centre; technical producing for independent videomakers; studied electronics and built devices for video/audio art; provided technical support for Nam June Paik & Charlotte Moorman exhibition (AGNSW, April 1976); technical installation for Biennales of Sydney (1976, 1979, 1982, 1984) and Australian Perspecta 1981 (AGNSW).
- 1975: Research Assistant in Departments of Psychology and Architecture, University of Queensland; taught experimental video production workshops to Architecture students from UoQ and QIT; collaborated with Brisbane Video Access Centre.
- 1974: Joined Bush Video—began long involvement in video art; active in video production since 1974 and technical support for the arts since 1976.
Contact: stephenraouljones@gmail.com