Ghislaine Boddington is a passionate advocate for transforming the living body into an interactive digital canvas. As a leading expert in digital identity and virtual interaction, she has captivated audiences since the early 1990s with her visionary insights into the digital representation of our future selves. Through her dynamic roles as a speaker, researcher, podcaster, consultant, and curator, Ghislaine explores the fascinating fusion of our physical and digital identities, continually reshaping our understanding of interaction and identity within a vibrant, hybrid society.
As a highly sought-after speaker, Ghislaine has been at the forefront of shaping the future of digital human interaction. For many years, her predictions about our technological futures have highlighted key challenges that the industry, creatives, engineers, and the wider public must navigate in the next decade as our relationship with technology evolves. Her thought-provoking inputs spark debates, combining historical analysis with contemporary implications to offer a rich, nuanced perspective on the future.
A digital interaction innovator, Ghislaine’s roots are in performing arts and dance, and she led early creative sector prototypes in virtual presence, becoming a specialist in the connection of people and spaces through digital means. She is the Creative Director of body>data>space, a pioneering design collective focusing on body-responsive technologies and immersive experiences. Her professorial roles in Digital Immersion at the University of Greenwich and in Collective Embodiment at Kingston University BRAINS Lab support her ongoing research “The Internet of Bodies”.
Ghislaine synthesises her expertise in telepresence, virtual worlds, robotics, motion capture, augmented/mixed reality, wearable tech, and sensory interfaces, tackling the broader implications of these advancements on our human condition, addressing societal needs through innovative solutions, helping to shape our hybrid future.
In 2017, her influential contributions were honoured with the SAT IX Immersion Experience International Visionary Pioneer Award, celebrating her foresight on the impact of technology on our identities and the human condition.
Formerly a co-host for the BBC’s Digital Planet podcast, Ghislaine continues to shape the narrative on radio and in podcasts regarding digital identity, biometric data and the future of human enhancement through her regular contributions to the BBC, including documentaries for BBC World Service and the inclusive global tech podcast, Somewhere on Earth.
She has delivered keynotes globally for many years across 35 countries, influencing sectors from the business to policy and education to creative industries. Her advocacy for public discourse on our digital identity and the ethical implications of technology leads to invitations to consult and present in a wide range of contexts. Her impact has been recognised through podcast interviews and features in leading platforms like Forbes and The Guardian, including collaborating with a diverse range of prestigious clients such as Hyundai, IKEA, Nesta, Mobile World Congress and the National Theatre. She is a member of the UK Government’s College of Experts, advising on the futures of creative industries and multi-verses.
Ghislaine is a strong supporter of gender equity in tech. She set up Women Shift Digital in 2012 and was the spokesperson for Deutsche Bank’s ‘Women Entrepreneurs in Social Tech’ programme 2017-2021. She continues this through her long term mentor work and as a Trustee for Stemettes Futures, a UK-based charity focused on inspiring and supporting young women into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers, demonstrating her commitment to shaping a diverse and inclusive future.
“Ms Boddington is a pioneer in immersive technology, which emulates the physical environment through a digital or simulated world. …… [Her] vision of the future is one where people talk interchangeably about their digital and physical selves, a world in which microchips embedded under your skin enable you to have a physical relationship with another person remotely.” Serena Tarling (Financial Times)
“As Ghislaine Boddington, creative director of body>data>space, noted in her talk on virtual reality and the “Internet of Bodies”, the hope for the future is in recognising and augmenting physical bodies in games and play.“ Jordan Erica Webber and Kat Brewster (The Guardian)
“Ghislaine Boddington, curator of the “future of love” section of the FutureFest, said [that] the aim is to look at things that aren’t around the corner but up to 30 years away and broaden horizons.” Cahal Milmo (Chief Reporter for The Independent)
“While everyone was marveling that we could land on the moon, Ghislaine was marveling that we could speak to someone ON the moon. Thus began her interest in Telepresence. A performance artist she has explored the possibilities of virtual enhancement of our senses and ways to bring together body data like touch, movement, gesture, emotion and empathy through convergences of robotics, wearables, telepresence, hepatic and virtual reality since the mid-nineties. Through these projects, she has created moving and transformational links between thousands of people across the world.” Western Bonime (Forbes)
“Boddington paints a fascinating picture of a world and believes that our quest to augment our existence and indulge in new experiences will lead us to turn our bodies into “digital interaction canvas.” Alice Bonasio (Eitor in Chief of Tech Trends)
Selected Clients:
Ghislaine Boddington 