School of Creative Arts, Film and Media (SCAFM)

Profile

Dr. Trudy Barber FRSA

Trudy’s professional interests in media started from the age of twelve from when she became involved in Radio production whilst living in Finland. She went on to work within a variety of broadcast media during her twenties. Her current interests started in 1990 at Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design in London where she studied for her BA in Fine Art. She was particularly interested in the body and sexuality, machines and computing technology. She combined all her interests in her degree work by producing one of the worlds first immersive Virtual Reality installations with a sexual theme in conjunction with a computer media production company called ‘Virtual S’. Her work was particularly understood and welcomed by ‘sexual subcultures’ that inspired her to complete a PhD in Sociology and Cultural Studies at the University of Kent at Canterbury. Her thesis – Computer Fetishism and Sexual Futurology: Exposing the Impact of Arousal on Technologies of Cyberspace - covers various socio-sexual aspects of the Internet, Virtual Reality and New Media.

Her current research interests are the following: new media development and content; consumer content; online social networking; sexuality and sexual subcultures; science fiction, cyberpunk and the future; virtual life and the convergence and customisation of communication technologies. She has given presentations worldwide, and has appeared in well over 35 radio and television programs. Trudy is also a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts.

In 2005 she was the recipient of the Literati Club Award for Excellence: Most Outstanding Paper in Emerald Publishing’s Foresight Journal, Volume 6, no. 3, for her paper entitled Deviation as a Key to Innovation, Understanding a Culture of the Future.

• Barber, Trudy: Working title: From Skin Two to Second Life: Analysing Fetishism, New Media and Cyberspace. Currently in development with Berg Publishers (Oxford and New York)  
• Barber, Trudy (2004) Deviation as Key to Innovation: Understanding a Culture of the Future. Foresight Journal. Vol. 6 No. 3, Emerald Publishing. Cambridge (2004).  (Winner of the ‘Award for Excellence: Outstanding Paper’ by the Literati Club, Emerald Publishing (2005).
• Barber, Trudy A Pleasure Prophesy: Predictions for the Sex Tourist of the Future.  In Waskul Dennis (Ed).  Net/SeXXX: Sex Pornography and the Internet. Peter Lang. New York (2004).
• Barber, Trudy. (online April/May 2004. http://www.com.washington.edu/rccs/ ) Resource Centre for Cyberculture Studies. (RCCS, University of Washington) Book Review of the following: Robin Baker (2000) Sex in the Future: the Reproductive Revolution and How it Will Change Us. Arcade Publishing. New York.
• Mackay, Judith. The Penguin Atlas Of Human Sexual Behaviour: Myriad Editions. USA (2000). Consultant along with Ian Pearson for the chapter on the future of sex.
• Barber, Trudy. Virtual Mentalities, Sexual Physicalities Final chapter in Wood, David (Ed) Body Probe: Mutating physical boundaries. Creation Books. London (1999).
•  Wood David. (ed.), The New Flesh: Creation Publishing. London. Quotation in photographic anthology (1999). 
• .NET MAGAZINE: Trudy was the consultant and featured in the article: 'Virtual Kicks' for Jen Rourke, 2002.
• LOADED MAGAZINE: Trudy was the consultant for the article: 'Lock up your daughters' for Harriet Warner, 2001.
• BLACK ICE MAGAZINE: Trudy helped to start up this cyberpunk magazine and contributed articles in 1993.

Trudy has either written for or featured in the following magazines/newspapers:

ZEST HEALTH MAGAZINE, COSMOPOLITAN,  DREAM CREATION, I.D., FUTURE SEX, CUPIDO, THE GUARDIAN, THE SUNDAY EXPRESS, DESIRE, SKIN TWO, ON..., NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS, and COUNTDOWN 2000 (e-zine)

• University of Brighton: Brighton and Sussex Sexualities Network Annual Conference. Presented Paper ‘New’ media, modders, innovation and transgender: customising your sex online and offline.  (September 2008)
• MRCS Conference, Ireland. Cybersex: Uses and Abuses on the Internet. Paper presentation: What can happen in Cyberspace? Dublin (2005).
• Keynote address: Jyväskylä Polytechnic International Conference, Finland, theme: Sexuality in a Virtual World. – A threat or an opportunity in promoting sexual health? Invited as keynote speaker: ‘Taking the advantages, avoiding the threats: How to make the most of a virtual world.’  (2004).
• Surrey University: Department of Sociology: Invited to present a ‘Future Sex Manifesto’ for: 'Futures of Feminist Science and Technology Studies'. Seminar series (2004). 
• Chair: European Federation of Sexology: Chair for internet session Theme: Sex and Computer Mediated Communications:  Integrating Computer Technology with Intimacy and Relationships for the 21st Century.  Conference in Brighton.  Also presented paper: 'Intel Inside': Exploring the Innovative Predilections of 'Master R' (2004). 
• ESRC: University of Hull Department of Sociology and Anthropology Lecture: Cybersex and Adult 'Digiplay': Introducing Novel Forms of Cyberculture (2004).
• University of Essex. Chimera Institute for Socio-technical Innovation and Research: Seminar presentation:  Computer Fetishism and Sexual Futurology (2004). 
• University of Salford: Arts and New Media dept. Two and a half hour Lecture on Teledildonics (2004).
• ESRC: Manchester University ESRC Centre for Research on Innovation and Competition (CRIC) paper presentation: ‘Turning On’ to Leisure with Pleasure:  Exploring unusually innovative experiences of 'adult digiplay' (2004).
• World Creative Forum, London Design Week:  Invited speaker on Panel. Exploring the impact of creativity on business and society (2003).
•  Ideas in Cyberspace Education (ICE): Paper presentation: 'Reading' cyberspace: the fetishising of information from an online environment? Edinburgh University Conference at Higham Hall, Penrith (2002).
• The Porterbrook Lecture: Presentation on Cybersex and the Internet for the Porterbrook Clinic, Sheffield (2002). 
• The ‘Friends of St. Bride’ (graphic design and printing) first annual conference: Paper presentation: 'Cybersex text' . London (2002). 
• Chair: 6th. European Congress of Sexology: Presented paper and chaired symposia. Limassol Cyprus (2002). 
• British Association of Sex and Relationship Therapists (BASRT) Conference: 2 hour presentation 'Cyberculture and cybersex: an Introduction’ Loughborough University (2002). 
• ESRC: Virtual Methods: Presented paper ' Embedded Fetishism and the Revelations of a Cyberdominatrix' at the Centre for Research into Innovation, Culture and Technology (CRICT) Brunel University, London (2001).
• London University: On-Line Education & Training: Presentation and discussion title: Cyberspace, telepresence and communication: a journey from Virtual Reality to the Internet. Department of Education, London University (2001). 
• Chair: 15th. World Congress Of Sexology: Presentation of research work and Symposium Chair. Paris (2001).
• University of Kent at Canterbury:  Lecture for undergraduate students in Culture Studies. Title: Cybersex: An Introduction (2001). 
• Cybersalon at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA): Panel discussion on cybersex at London (2000).
• BSA: ‘New Directions In Social Research’, Nottingham University: Presented paper for the postgraduate conference (2000). 
• Millennium Lectures: At various venues in Kent for winter/spring 2000 (Lecture title: From Canvas to Cyberspace). 
• Art And Technology Symposium: Gave lecture to Central Saint Martins College of Art undergraduates in their seminar week of cultural studies. London (1997). 
• World Wide Virtual Reality Conference : San Francisco Conference, ‘Silicon Valley’ U.S.A. Invited to give paper on cybersex: ‘Coming to terms with the sexual ghost in virtual space’ (1997).
• Pleasures Unbound: Lecture: ‘Cybersex the New Creative Fetish’ at the Coventry Gallery London (1995). 
• Embodied Knowledge & Virtual Space: Conference. Presented paper at Goldsmiths College, University of London (1995) 
• Virtual Futures: Cyberevolution: Conference: Presented paper at the University of Warwick, Coventry (1995). 
• Art, Gender and Technology: Symposium in Toronto, Canada by Public Access. Gave seminar concerning Sexual Technicians, Computer Fetishists and Scientific Artists (1995).
• McLuhan Institute: Live ISDN cyberconference link/interview(CU-CME) with the Institute from London to Toronto, Canada (1995). 
• I.C.A (Institute of Contemporary Arts): Symposium on the ‘Virtual Body’ in London. Gave presentation of work (1994). 
• Los Angeles International Art Fair: LA in California USA. Gave presentation of work (1993). 
• Erotica 1993: Erotic symposium in Bologna, Italy. Took part in panel and seminar on ‘Future Sex’ (1993).