Professor Camille Baker

Camille is an artist-performer/researcher/curator within various art forms: immersive experiences and virtual storytelling, interactive art and design, participatory performance, SmartFashion/e-textiles/wearables, responsive interfaces and environments, mobile media art and digital art curating.

She has developed methods and approaches to exploring and extending the senses of the body, within performance and interactive art contexts, using emerging technologies.

Her research has sought ways to create embodied participatory performance and immersive, interactive arts experiences using emerging technologies. Most recently this has been through immersive extended sensory installations, but in the past has included bespoke e-textiles costumes and wearable electronics, mobile media art, responsive interfaces and environments.

Camille is a maker of participatory performance and immersive installation artwork. Her work is focussed on extended embodiment and presence in real and mixed reality and interactive art contexts, expressive non-verbal modes of communication, using XR, haptics/e-textiles, wearable devices, mobile media and other emerging technology to tell stories and alternate forms of bodily communication and sensing.

She has been co-leading a meetup group with smart/e-textile artists and designers since 2014, called e-stitches Collective.

Camille has been Principal Investigator for three successful, multimillion Euro funded European projects in FP7 and Horizon 2020 frameworks since 2013:

ICT&Art Connect/ FET-Art

WEAR Sustain

STARTS Ecosystem

Shortlisted for the Lumen Prize 2021

For the project INTER/her, an immersive installation and virtual reality journey inside the female body featuring personal health stories, with an accompanying haptic corset.

Listed as Computer Weekly’s Most Influential Women in UK Tech Longlist for four years in a row: 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018

INTER/her: Intimate Journey Inside the Female Body
2019–present
Current virtual installation artwork exhibiting around the UK and Canada since June 2021

Hacking the Body and HTB 2.0
2015–17
A practice-based arts research multi-output project with a long-time collaborator Dr Kate Sicchio.

Publications

Books

Baker, C., with Bauer, D., Dyer, M., Kofen, K., Abtan, F. and Armitage, J. (March 2019) Writers&Makers: Women & Technology in New Music, Defragmentation in Darmstadt 2018, self-published outcome of the German research project Defragmentation, that ran from Jan 2017 to March 2019, focussed on decolonisation, gender and diversity, curating and the impacts of technology on “New Music". Downloadable http://books.apple.com/us/book/id1461493311

Baker, C. C. (Aug 16, 2018) New Directions in Mobile Media and Performance – Monograph on mobile phones in performance as tool, content, guide and collaborator in immersive theatre, live art, dance, music and more. Oxford, New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis. https://www.routledge.com/New-Directions-in-Mobile-Media-and-Performance/Baker/p/book/9781472467188

Baker, C. C. and Sicchio, K. eds. (December 31, 2016) Intersecting Art and Technology in Practice: Techne/Technique/Technology. On creative process, ideation, collaboration and knowledge exchange in technological art practice. Oxford, New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis. Available online here https://www.routledge.com/Intersecting-Art-and-Technology-in-Practice-Techne-Technique-Technology/Baker-Sicchio/p/book/9781138934115

Book chapters

Baker, C. C. (July 2020) “Wearing Data: intentions and tensions of art and design in performance using wearables”, IN: The Routledge Companion to Mobile Media Art, edited by Larissa Hjorth, Adriana de Souza e Silva & Klare Lanson, Oxford, New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis. Details https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Companion-to-Mobile-Media-Art-1st-Edition/Hjorth-de-Souza-e-Silva-Lanson/p/book/9780367197162

Baker, C. C. (June 2019) “What is or where is the human in technology?” IN: Defragmentation: Curating Contemporary Music (Darmstädter Beiträge zur Neuen Musik. Sonderband Defragmentation in original German), Sylvia Freydank, Michael Rebhahn (Ed.) Schott, Music: Darmstadt, Germany

Baker, C. C. (Sept 26, 2017) Book chapter: “Critical Interventions in Wearable Tech, Smart Fashion & Etextiles in Art and Performance”, In Digital Bodies: Creativity and Technology in the Arts and Humanities, edited by Susan Broadhurst and Sara Price, Palgrave Publishing, MacMillan: Hampshire, UK. Focuses on the ongoing collaboration with Kate Sicchio on the Hacking the Body and HTB 2.0’s wearable technologies in performance research and practice. https://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9781349952403

Baker, C. C. (July 2016) Book chapter: “ICT&ART Connect: Connecting ICT & Art Communities Project Outcomes” IN Curating the Digital: Space for Art and Interaction, Editors: David England, Thecla Schiphorst, Nick Bryan-Kinns, Switzerland: Springer, pages 89-105. Available online at: http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319287201 - based on CHI 2014 workshop on Human Computer Interaction and Art Curating.

Interview

Schleser, Max (November 2021) Smartphone Filmmaking: Theory & Practice.: Chapter 3 - features a discussion between myself and Schleser on my art practice. Bloomsbury, London. Details https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/smartphone-filmmaking-9781501360350

Journal articles

Baker, C.C. and Susanne Palzer, (in press, due 2023). “Intangible Threshold: Virtual Touch Performance Analysis”, IN International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media (IJPADM), Special Issue “DHRA 2022 - from Resilience to Transformation”, Oxford, New York: Taylor & Francis

Baker, C. C. and Nick Bryan-Kinns, (in press, due 2023) “WEAR Sustain [Wearable technologists Engage with Artists for Responsible innovation: Analysis, Insights, Outcomes and Impact”, IN Bloomsbury Encyclopaedia of Global Textiles, London: Bloomsbury.

Baker, C. C. (in press, due December 2022) “INTER/her: An immersive journey inside the female body - Experience Reflections” IN Virtual Creativity, Volume 11, Number 2, xx.

Baker, C. C., Bryan-Kinns, N., Greinke, B., Ranaivoson, H., Wu, Y., Liu, S., (Nov 2018) “WEAR Sustain Network: Wearable Technology Innovation” 6th GLOBAL FASHION CONFERENCE, London College of Fashion conference proceedings online http://gfc-conference.eu/proceedings/

Baker, C. C., Bryan-Kinns, N., Greinke, B., Ranaivoson, H., (June 2018) “WEAR: Wearable technologists Engage with Artists for Responsible innovation: Processes and Progress”, IN Journal of Virtual Creativity, Intellect Journal, Vol.8.1, Denise Doyle, Editor-in-Chief, Bristol: Intellect Publishing

Baker, C. C. and Sicchio, K. (March 2018) “Hacking the Body 2.0: Dancing Between Commercial and DIY Wearable Technology“, IN Special Issue: Bodily Extensions and Performance (Avatars, Prosthetics, Cyborgs, Posthumans), Vol 14.1, ed International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media, Oxford, New York: Taylor & Francis http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rpdm20/current

Exhibitions & performances

INTER/her Immersive Experience and Installation, details at https://inter-her.art and https://camillebaker.me/inter-her:

1. (2022) The Extended Senses Symposium and Exhibition, Stephen Lawrence Gallery, University of Greenwich, London 
   https://www.extendedsenses22.co.uk/team-4-2
2. (2022) University of Toronto and University of York’s ArtSci Salon, co-hosting exhibition as part of the Technologies of Care project. Exhibition details here https://artscisalon.com/who-cares/camille-baker/ Opening Thursday, April 7, 5 pm Exhibition location: Ivey Library, New College, 20 Willcox Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
3. (2021) hosted by game:play lab ay Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCADU) and the University of Toronto’s ArtSci Salon for a scaled down version and artists talk, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
4. (2021) NeOn Digital Festival, https://neondigitalarts.com/festival-2021/ Dundee, Scotland;
5. (2021) Brighton Digital Festival, https://brightondigitalfestival.org.uk/events/inter-her-immersive-installation Brighton, UK;
6. (2021) Ars Electronica 2021, UCA Artistic Presentation for the UK Garden “In The Invisible Garden – https://ars.electronica.art/newdigitaldeal/en/uca-artistic-presentation/ AND Art in Flux: Reclaimed - virtual exhibition relaunch.
7. (2021) Access Space https://access-space.org/portfolio/inter-her-a-multi-sensory-immersive-art-installation-that-takes-you-inside-the-womb/ at the Food Hall, Sheffield, UK
8. (2021) EVA Conference - Artist Demo Paper and exhibition demo, in London (as well as a Keynote Speaker presentation on the STARTS project) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyxj03uIZA0
9. (2021) The Brewery Tap Project Space, Folkestone, Kent, UK
10. (2021) Art in Flux: Reclaimed - virtual exhibition relaunch at Kensington & Chelsea Art Week. See the virtual exhibition via the link in previous listing.
11. (2021) UCA FMPA Doctoral lunchtime talk - discussing the project from a research and theory perspective for current FMPA PhD students.
12. (2021) National Gallery X - Showcase for Art in Flux: Reclaimed virtual exhibition https://www.artinfluxlondon.com/reclaimed-exhibition.html
13. (2020) Immerse UK Presents: XR & Femtech, The Knowledge Transfer Network, online Tuesday, 17 March 2020 from 17:30 to 20:00, on my new work INTER/her and on a panel, speaking more broadly on Women and Technology. Video available online here https://tinyurl.com/vjaxdwl and presentation here https://www.slideshare.net/secret/3QdsXIlcWbUZiR

Other exhibitions

(2018) Attempts, Failures, Trials and Errors exhibition of our video documentation of Hacking the Body live performances of Flutter /Stutter and Feel Me, curated by Hillevi Munthe and Tincuta Heinzel in Bucharest at the "Salon de Proiecte". See it online at http://salonuldeproiecte.ro/exhibitions/attempts-failures-trials-and-errors/ and the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1786684551415496/. Images available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/heinzelmenschen/sets/72157666073147048

(2017) Attempts, Failures, Trials and Errors exhibition video of Hacking the Body live performances of Flutter /Stutter and Feel Me, curated by Hillevi Munthe and Tincuta Heinzel, at Piksel art gallery, Bergen, Norway. Online at http://17.piksel.no/?p=432 and http://trials-and-errors.com/projects.

(2017) Refest2.0 ITP NYU, New York City, a telematic performance via the Internet of Things protocol of X-OSc of our Feel Me dance and wearables piece between one dancer in New York City and one in London, UK https://hackingthebody.wordpress.com/2017/05/01/performance-at-refest2-0-at-nyu-itp/

(2016) International Conference on Live Interfaces, Brighton, UK, performance of our Flutter /Stutter dance and wearables piece, created for February 2016 performances below. www.liveinterfaces.org/ proceedings are here https://thormagnusson.github.io/liveinterfaces/proceedings2016.html and video here https://youtu.be/wDD1tQEJNJk.

(2016) Hacking the Body live performances of Flutter Stutter and Feel Me, in London 1) Watermans Arts Centre, February 16th, and 2) Access Space Sheffield, February 18th – with dancers wearing custom wearable technology and etextiles garments to trigger interaction between dancers and sound for the audience. See more on the performances here: hackingthebody.wordpress.com, and https://vimeo.com/168129310

(2015) Wear_NEXT Exhibition, Brisbane, Gallery Artisan of Hacking the Body, touring Australia and Asia - online catalogue https://www.weekendnotes.com/wear-next-exhibition-gallery-artisan/. Radio review here: http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/2015/09/bst_20150903_0843.mp3 and video made during R&D residency at UCA and Siobhan Davies https://hackingthebody.wordpress.com/ (https://vimeo.com/133353621) featured in the exhibition.