BRIEF BIO
Dr. Dawn-joy Leong is a proudly Autistic multidisciplinary artist, researcher, and corporate / academic keynote speaker, whose work has been showcased in the United Kingdom, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, China and Singapore. Leong is a Fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminar, co-founding Director of K9 Assistance Sg, and has recently joined the Editorial Board of Neurodiversity, Sage Journals. Her areas of artistic practice and research include multimodal autistic empathic experiences, neuroholographic connectivity with the non-human sentient and material realms, and multidisciplinary Arts. Dawn-joy attributes her prolific oeuvre to her creative muse, autism assistance dog, and love of her life, Lucy Like-a-Charm, a black Greyhound, rescued from the racing industry in Australia. After ten years of amazing adventures together, Lucy departed this mortal realm in March 2023. Dawn-joy’s new mission, in honour of Lucy, is to complete their magnum opus, “Scheherazade’s Sea: Wake Up in My Dreams,” a multimedia, multi-access autobiography in Fantasia style, and travel the world sharing about her life with Lucy, continuing to inspire audiences worldwide through her art, music, writing, advocacy and speaking, fostering deeper appreciation for the richness of neurodiverse transcultural perspectives.
EDUCATION
2016: Ph.D, Art, Design and Media, The University of New South Wales, College of Fine Arts, Australia.
2010: M.Phil, Music Composition – The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
1989: Bachelor of Arts, Honours, Music & Fine Arts – The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
COMPLETED THESES
2016: Scheherazade’s Sea – autism, parallel embodiment and elemental empathy. Ph.D dissertation, University of New South Wales, Art & Design.
2010: Scheherazade’s Sea – a mixed media, multisensory installation and performance. M.Phil thesis, The University of Hong Kong. A multimodal approach to creativity.
AWARDS
Goh Chok Tong Enable Awards (Achievement) 2021
UNSW Art & Design Dean’s Award for Excellence in Postgraduate Research 2016
The Arts in Society International Award for Excellence 2013, Volume 7
UNSW University International Postgraduate Award 2012-2015.
AFFILIATIONS & VOLUNTARY SERVICE to PROFESSION (selected)
Salzburg Global Seminar – Fellow, 2021-current
Neurodiversity, SAGE Journals – Editorial Board, current
ART:DIS Singapore – Professional Ally / Collaborator – 2021-current
Autism Resource Centre (Singapore) – Autism Advisory Panel, 2021-current.
K9 Assistance (Limited) Singapore – Co-Founder, Director, 2019-present
Disabled People’s Association Singapore, Board of Management2017-2023
Organising Committee & Scientific Sub-Committee – Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2019 Singapore – 2018-2019
Advisory Panel – Creative Programme Committee – Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2017 Sydney, Australia – 2017
SPEECHES, TALKS, WORKSHOPS, MEDIA FEATURES (selected)
“Creating Futures: Art of Narrative,” Salzburg Global, Austria, 2025.
“Scheherazade’s Sea: An Autistic Woman’s Journey of Being,” National University of Singapore, 2025.
“SYNC Singapore 2025,” co-facilitator with founder Sarah Pickthall, 2025
“Scheherazade’s Sea: an autistic woman’s journey,” – 21 October 2024, Opening Speech for Swift Innotribe, SIBOS 2024, Beijing, China.
“Autism, Neurodiversity & Inclusion,” – 23 October 2024, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Networking Event, SIBOS 2024, Beijing China.
“Lucy Like-a-Charm”, guest speaker, Cultural Autism Studies at Yale (CASY), March 2024.
“Let’s stop trying to normalise Autism. Let’s start normalising diversity,” Nedla Media, 2022.
Panel Speaker, Inclusive Business Forum 2022, Singapore.
“Lucy and Me,” Singapore Tatler, 2021.
“Commentary: Does the word ‘autistic’ make you uncomfortable?,” CNA Insider, 11 Jul 2021.
“Autistic Identity,” for Reframing Autism, Australia, 2021.
“Autistic Thriving – Not Despite, But Because of Autism” – Plenary Speaker, Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2019, Singapore.
“Meeting in the Middle: Representation & Tokenism” – Ethos Books, March 2019, Singapore.
“Uniquely Me – Episode 6,” Mediacorp Television, Singapore, 2019.
“Autistic Thriving,” TEDx Pickering Street, Singapore, 2018.
“Uniquely Me – Episode 6,” Mediacorp Television, Singapore, 2018.
“Discovering at 42 that you are Autistic,” Channel News Asia Singapore, 2017.|
“Making a space for different minds.” The Conversation, feature article by Katie Sutherland. 23 October 2017.
“Snoosphere: the art installation tackling mental illness.” ABC Australia, Lateline. 20 September 2017.
“On the Red Dot” Episode 16 – Autism. Television feature programme, Channel 5, Mediacorp, Singapore. 21 July 2017.
“I’m not bad, I’m not ill, I’m autistic.” CNA Insider article by Desmond Ng. Channel News Asia, Mediacorp, Singapore. 23 July 2017.
“Adults Find Out They’re Autistic.” Full page feature in Sunday Times, Singapore. 30 April 2017.
“Being autistic in a non-autistic world.” Video by documentary film maker Martin Guinnesss. 30 March 2016
“Doogle, Buddy, Lucy and Friends.” Video by documentary film maker Martin Guinness. 6 April 2016
“A Different Way of Thinking,” SBS Australia, 2015.
ARTISTIC PRACTICE (selected)
Clement Space @Enabling Village, International Day of Persons with Disability, 2023, 2 December.
Clement Space @Tokyo, Creative Wellbeing Festival, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, 2022, Japan.
“Sense and Sensitivity,” soundscape, 2021, Curtin University, Australia.
Scheherazade’s Sea: continuing journey 2021, a multi-media, multidisciplinary digital work incorporating ‘live’ performance, accompanying a groundbreaking practice-based research on alternative performative approaches for artists with sensory and neurological functioning differences, and medical disabilities.
Clement Space @ Suwon, Suwon Art Museum, South Korea, 2020.
Scheherazade’s Sea: stories and songs from a hidden world, a fully digitalised revised version of “Scheherazade’s Sea 2010”, Digital Presentation Grant, National Arts Council Singapore, 2020
Clement Space, immersive installation commission, National Gallery Singapore, 2020.
Something About Home, promenade theatre, National Gallery Singapore, 2020.
Designing Clement Space: a neurodivergent-led art & research residency, National Library Board, library@orchard, Singapore, 2019.
Video: ‘Empathy’ for App by fEEL, The BIG Anxiety Festival Sydney, Australia, 2019.
Making a Stand, theatre performance, British Council Singapore, 2018.
Clement Space @Playeum – I-Opener, 1 June 2019 – 26 April 2020, Playeum, Singapore.
Snoösphere 2017 – autism/neurodiversity consultant & associate artist. UNSW Galleries, Sept-Nov 2017.
Neurodiverse-city @ The BIG Anxiety Festival 2017 – 2 installations: Clement Space in the City and An Olfactory Map of Sydney. Customs House, Sydney, Sept-Nov 2017.
Sonata in Z – solo exhibition, UNSW Art & Design, 10-14 November 2015.
Participation in David Capra’s “Teena’s Bathtime 2015“, Bella Room Commission, Museum of Contemporary Art.
Little Sweets 小甜心 – solo exhibition, UNSW Art & Design, 10-14 November 2014.
Four Thirty Three – group exhibition, “IN MOTION” by Airspace Projects, 22 November 2014.
Doodle Dreams – group exhibition, “The Democracy of Drawing,” curated by AirSpace Projects, part of Art Month Sydney March 2014.
Confronting the Senses – group exhibition, “Desiring Machines,” curated by Critical Animals, at This is Not Art 2013, The Lock Up Cultural Centre, Newcastle, Australia. 4-6 October 2013.
Scheherazade’s Sea – songs from silence 2013 – performance at the World Stage Design 2013, Cardiff, U.K. 13 September 2013.
Haptic HugShrug (revised 2013) – group exhibit, VIVID SYDNEY 2013 – Haptic InterFace, Hong Kong House, Druitt Street, Sydney, 27 May-6 June 2013.
Roaring Whispers 2013 – a multisensory installation and conceptual space, COFA Space gallery, College of Fine Arts, UNSW, 7-10 May 2013.
Haptic Autistry. Installation – a multimodal, interactive study of haptic sensory idiosyncrasy. Haptic InterFace 2012, Hong Kong Baptist University, Koo Ming Kown Gallery, Hong Kong, 21 November – 16 December 2012.
Haptic HugShrug. Prototype – a study of deep pressure stimulation. Haptic InterFace 2012. Hong Kong Baptist University, Koo Ming Kown Gallery, Hong Kong, 21 November – 16 December 2012.
Scheherazade’s Sea. Mixed media, multi-sensory installation and performance. University of Hong Kong, Department of Music, Hung Hing Ying Building, Hong Kong, 9 April 2010.
PAPERS & PUBLICATIONS (selected)
“Examining an Integrated Path Model of Psychological and Sociocultural Predictors of Camouflaging in Autistic Adults“, co-author, Autism, 2024.
“Lucy Like-a-Charm – Elemental Empathic Resonance,” NAMH Network (Non-Human Medical Humanities Network), 2023.
“Creating Clement Space: Collaborative Design for Accessible Inclusion,” Behind the Scenes, 2023, National Gallery Singapore.
“Exploring Autistic Adults’ Psychosocial Experiences Affecting Beginnings, Continuity, and Change in Camouflaging Over Time: A Qualitative Study,” co-author, Autism, 2023.
“A Gift of Wellbeing from the Autistic Paradigm,” Polyphony – Conversations Across the Medical Humanities, 2023, United Kingdom.
“Lucy Like-a-Charm – Elemental Empathic Resonance,” Non-Human Animal Medical Humanities Network, 2023, London, United Kingdom.
“Ten Lessons in Love from Lucy,” Reframing Autism, 2022.
“Scheherazade’s Sea: Five Women and One,” chapter, Making Kin: Ecofeminist Essays from Singapore, Ethos Books SIngapore, 2021.
“Clarifying Self-Report measures of Social Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder to Improve Reporting for Autistic Adults,” Autism in Adulthood, 2021. (Co-author)
“The use of everyday and assistive technology in the lives of older autistic adults,” Autism, 2021. (Co-author)
“Exploring Autistic Adults’ Psychosocial Experiences Affecting Beginnings, Continuity, and Change in Camouflaging Over Time – A Qualitative Study,” OSFPreprints, 2021. (Co-author)
“The Arts & Disability in Singapore: a journey of dynamic partnership between the United Kingdom and Singapore through the British Council,” British Council Singapore, 2020.
Seeing Singapore Clearly through the Eyes of Disability, the Birthday Book 20/20, Singapore, 2020.
Yayoi Kusama: Life is the Heart of the Rainbow. Review. Artlink Magazine, Australia. 19 September 2017.
Reflections on the neurodiverse city. Feature. Artlink Magazine, Australia. 01 September 2017.
Scheherazade’s Sea – autistic parallel embodiment and elemental empathy. Conference paper presented at the UNSW Art & Design Postgraduate Research Conference, 17-18 June 2015.
Reciprocating Self and Other – lessons from autism. Conference paper presented at the Inter-Disciplinary.Net, “Strangers, Aliens and Foreigners,” 5-7 September 2013, Mansfield College, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K. | First Published in Experiencing Otherness: Multidisciplinary Perspectives. Ed. Bashir, Hassan & Roye, Susmita. Inter-Disciplinary Press, Oxford, U.K. 2015
Art in a Hidden World – creative process and invisible anomaly. The Arts in Society Conference 2012, Arts and Design Academy, Liverpool, UK; The International Journal of Arts in Society: Annual Review, Volume 7, and The International Journal of Art History and Theory (in publication), Common Ground Publishing. 2012 International Award for Excellence.
Dawn-joy Leong 
Pingback: Production Team – Lucy Like-a-Charm