Ghislaine Boddington

Ghislaine Boddington is a British artist, curator, and director. She is the Creative Director of body>data>space and Co-Founder and Director of FutureEverything and Women Shift Digital. She has worked across the fields of digital performance, immersive experiences, and body-technology interaction. Her main focus is the integration of the human body with digital technologies through art, design, and innovation.

As a curator and researcher, she has led several EU and UK-funded projects that explore telepresence, collective experience, and virtual-physical blending. She co-directed the EU project Robots and Avatars, which examined how humans collaborate with robots and avatars in working and learning environments. 

She has also worked on me and my shadow, a telepresence project connecting people in different cities using motion capture and digital interaction tools. She was the lead curator of Nesta’s FutureFest in London, where she presented future concepts and interactive installations related to identity, touch, and immersive futures.

She also wrote and presented the BBC World Service documentary Me and My Digital Twin, which aired on 30 November 2024 and investigated the use of AI digital twins in shaping self-expression, health, identity, and legacy.

Ghislaine has contributed to various advisory boards and committees related to creative industries, arts and technology, and digital culture. She has been involved with institutions such as the European Commission, Arts Council England, and Innovate UK. She has also worked with educational institutions, delivering lectures, workshops, and presentations internationally.

She has received awards and recognition for her work in art and technology. She was awarded the Women's Economic Forum’s Iconic Woman award for creativity and innovation. She has also received recognition from the UK Innovation sector for her contributions to human-centred digital experiences.

Her publications include contributions to LEA Journal (MIT Press), SpringerLink, British Council’s Creative Economy Reports, FUTUREEverything publications, and The Digital Human by BBC Radio 4. Her work also explores digital twins, presence, and human-data interaction in immersive environments.

She studied performing arts at Middlesex University. She pursued further research in digital interaction and body-technology integration. She also completed academic programmes in media and creative technology.

Ghislaine Boddington was born in the United Kingdom. She studied at the University of Leeds and later at Berlin University of the Arts and Middlesex University. Her early interest was in performing arts and choreography. In the 1980s, she began exploring how technology could connect to the body through movement and performance. Her initial work focused on live performance and telepresence.
 

In the early 1990s, she co-founded shinkansen, a collective based at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. It worked on telepresence, body technology interfaces, and remote collaboration using ISDN and other emerging technologies. She also started her focus on digital identity and human-computer interaction.
 

In 1997, she was one of the founders of body>data>space, a collective working at the intersection of the human body and digital interaction. She developed immersive and interactive installations, projects, and experiences combining physical movement, wearable tech, sensors, and immersive environments. Her work explored the relationship between the body and digital spaces using real-time systems and responsive technology.

Throughout the 2000s, she led and contributed to several European Union-funded projects, including E-Motive, Participation, and ICT & Art Connect. These projects combined research, workshops, and interactive installations to investigate the future of digital-human interaction. She worked with dancers, technologists, designers, and creative coders to develop new forms of hybrid experiences.
 

She worked on projects involving motion capture, gesture interfaces, augmented reality, and smart environments. At this time, she began developing her long-term research focus on the concept she termed “The Internet of Bodies,” which explores how digital technology interacts with the human body.
 

She was a lead curator and co-producer of FutureFest, a festival produced by Nesta between 2014 and 2018. She curated themes such as the future of intimacy, human-machine relationships, and identity. She brought together technologists, artists, researchers, and business leaders to explore ideas about the future of humans and technology.
 

In 2013, she launched the Women Shift Digital initiative to support women working in technology, media, and innovation. It included workshops, events, and mentoring activities.

From 2017 onwards, she became the co-presenter of BBC World Service’s “Digital Planet” technology show, working with Gareth Mitchell. On the programme, she covered topics including AI ethics, wearable tech, telepresence, VR, and human-centric design. She contributed regularly to BBC World Service documentaries and BBC Click features. After the show ended in 2020, she continued podcasting and media work, including co-presenting Somewhere on Earth, a global technology podcast.
 

She is currently a Professor of Interactive Creative Arts at the University of Greenwich and an Associate Professor at Kingston University. Her academic research integrates with her practice-led work and public engagement. She is known for working on projects related to digital twins, immersive environments, XR design, and ethics in technology. She continues to develop and share her work on the Internet of Bodies through lectures, workshops, and consultancy.
 

She has been a keynote speaker at several international events, including SXSW, Nesta FutureFest, and Ars Electronica. Her talks explore themes like human-computer interaction, the digital self, embodiment in digital spaces, and hybrid environments. She consults for organisations including Nesta, Innovate UK, and the European Commission on future tech and inclusion.
 

She has contributed to various publications and journals. She has been published or featured in The Guardian, Wired UK, BBC Online, and the Creative Industries Journal. She has written chapters in academic books on body technology and digital interaction. Her work has been referenced in reports on immersive technology, wearable computing, and digital culture.
 

Ghislaine Boddington has received several awards and honours. She has been recognised as one of the Top 100 Women in Technology in the UK. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and is part of several advisory boards, including those on creative tech, digital ethics, and innovation policy.
 

She continues to lead research and consultancy in areas including hybrid presence, gesture-based interaction, ethics of AI, digital identity, and the future of virtual experiences. Her current work includes lectures, digital curation, consultancy projects, and media contributions related to digital twins, immersive tech, and the evolving human- digital interface.

Ghislaine Boddington’s vision is to help people understand how their physical body connects with the digital world. She believes digital technologies should support identity, interaction, and well-being in fair and human-centred ways. Her work focuses on creating meaningful connections between virtual and real experiences. 

As she says, “A digital twin isn’t just a copy; it’s a companion, a co-creator, and a legacy.” She also asks, “Imagine that when you are born, a digital version of you is also created... How might this reshape our understanding of ourselves and our potential?” Her aim is to guide ethical, inclusive digital futures for all.

Ghislaine Boddington has received several awards and recognition for her work combining the human body with digital technology. She was awarded the Award of Excellence from the World Technology Network for her long-term work in digital interaction. She was also named one of the UK’s Top 100 Women in Tech by Innovate UK. As a Creative Director of body>data>space, her team’s work has been recognised across Europe in many innovation and digital arts festivals. Her contributions to BBC programmes, such as Digital Planet and Me and My Digital Twin, have also gained widespread appreciation in the tech and arts community.