Hillary Leone

Mine is not a straight line. I spent the decade of the nineties making large-scale art installations with Jennifer Macdonald, under the name of Leone & Macdonald. As one of the first female collaborative art teams, we navigated the polarizing culture wars of the era by producing lyrical, provocative works that invited deliberate contemplation. We made it into the hallowed Whitney Biennial, had multiple dealers, solo shows, critical press, international exhibitions, and steady invitations to lecture and teach. Collaboration made the experience richer and the work stronger.

In the aughts, I pivoted solo into digital tech, founded a creative studio, and directed 100+ projects for world-class institutions, non-profits, and thought leaders, earning industry recognition for interactive design from the Webby Awards, SXSW Interactive, and others. Technology was shaping culture in profound ways, and although I was "in" it, I found myself strangely resistant to its pulse and logic. I didn't like social media. I didn't want to do it. And I didn't know if it was possible to succeed - or even exist - without it.

I missed the freedom to wander without a destination and began to follow the footnotes into adjacent disciplines: neuroscience, behavioral economics, biology, physics, linguistics. I fell in love with the brain and specifically the idea of neuroplasticity: if we can change our brains, we can change our stories. Synch.Live began as a creative exploration about what language might look like in the future if people no longer agreed on a shared model of the world or a common fact base. That question led to another: what can flocks of birds teach us about cooperation? That led to Synch.Live, an emergent art at the intersection of culture, science, technology and social impact.

Synch.Live is a global project to foster human connection through emergent play, modeled on flocking birds and developed in collaboration with neuroscientists. We've now played with 1250+ people in New York, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Paris, and Mallorca - and received the AMAZE./ Berlin 2025 Human Human Machine Award. We were recognized for creating a technology that reminds us what it feels like to be human together. We've also submitted a paper for peer review that demonstrates how Synch.Live enhances connectedness.

I am six years in and remain deeply optimistic about the power of human connection. I'm eager to be in conversation with people who want to foster connection, spark awe, enhance well-being, and/or advance our understanding of human collective behavior. Please reach out if you want to connect, conduct research, learn more, contribute, or activate Synch.Live with your community.