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2.0 About

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Urban Projections is the work and collaborations of artist Rebecca Smith. Experimenting with how we perceive ourselves through immersive technologies, her work seeks to surprise and engage audiences with it's playful tone and interactivity.  Challenging and pushing the boundaries of her discipline, Rebecca cultivates human connection and shared experiences within beautifully crafted, digital worlds.

Artist Rebecca Smith (Urban Projections) stands in autumnal woodland, looking down to her side.

"I'm interested in how technology can offer ways of exploring the sometimes complex relationship between people,  place and environment."

The most powerful dialogues emerge when people come together through shared experiences. Rebecca’s work transforms spaces into collective expressions, focusing on collaboration with underrepresented voices. Rooted in co-creation, her art amplifies diverse perspectives, creating environments where creativity grows from a sense of community. By blending digital media with physical surroundings, she invites audiences into direct engagement, making her art both accessible and deeply meaningful.

Rebecca’s work has been viewed in prestigious venues throughout the UK and internationally, such as the Saatchi Gallery, Tate, The Royal Academy of Arts and The Royal Albert Hall. However, her work is equally at home on the streets and in unusual outdoor locations. With a heavy influence of street art culture, and love of abandoned sites and objects, she uses forgotten spaces as a canvas for much her work. 

With over twenty years experience as a professional audio-visual performer, Rebecca has led impactful, cross-disciplinary projects, workshops, and forums in both educational institutions and community settings. Driven by a profound passion for art and technology, she actively fosters innovative approaches to new media. Rebecca is also a dedicated advocate for women and the LGBTQ+ community in the arts and technology, encouraging greater representation across the creative industries.

BACKGROUND

2.2 About

A Bit of

Rebecca’s creative journey began in the late ’90s, when she worked as a sound engineer at a local recording studio. With a love for electronic music, she quickly moved into music production and turntablism, founding a DJ collective that hosted events and offered technical DJ training. Her passion for visual and contemporary art, along with her skills in graphic and video design, became foundational to her live performances.

“Back then, technology in club culture was evolving in a way that naturally combined audio and visual elements. Transitioning from vinyl to digital formats on a laptop allowed me to bring together everything I loved. Suddenly, I could perform both audio and visuals live, using my digital production skills to create a level of expression I hadn’t experienced before.”

In the years that followed, Rebecca developed a distinctive visual style inspired by UK club culture and the post-industrial landscape she grew up with. As her visual practice matured, she honed her skills in animation, 3D design, projection, and video design, which led to collaborations in theater design, festival stages, international fashion weeks, and public art commissions. These projects provided the ideal space for her to experiment with early projection mapping software, quickly leading her to large-scale architectural mapping and immersive installations.

Collaboration has always been central to Rebecca’s work. In 2009, she joined forces with Modern Mural Painter Peter Barber to form Stylus, an experimental duo exploring the interplay of spray paint and projected light. Stylus gained international attention, pioneering the live performance of projection murals. Rebecca’s passion for street art also led her to create The Light Cycle, a project that brought guerrilla digital art to unexpected spaces.

Today, Rebecca’s studio is based at the historic Welbeck Estate, supported by the Harley Foundation, in Nottinghamshire, UK. Nestled in the heart of Sherwood Forest, it’s an ideal setting for experimentation, collaboration, prototyping, and innovation. Her work continues to push the boundaries of shared audience experiences, spanning projection, light, augmented reality, immersive design, and interactive technologies.

"I try to explore the spaces that exist between People, Place & Technology"

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