Tracey Benson

Tracey Benson is an Australian interdisciplinary artist, academic, and researcher at Charles Sturt University, where she leads the Extended Reality Collaborative (XRC). Her work bridges social practice, environmental engagement, and digital media through innovative locative art projects that challenge audiences to reimagine their relationship with place.

Her research centers on pro-environmental behaviour change via walking-based creative practices, using augmented reality and historical media to foster deep connections with local environments. Benson integrates Indigenous knowledge systems with technological experimentation, creating projects that transform public spaces into sites of ecological reflection and community dialogue. Key methodologies include sensory-rich performances, participatory murals, and temporal layering of historical media.

Recent outputs like the Old Media Orchestra series (2020-2021) demonstrate her signature approach: recontextualizing 1970s media artifacts through live performances that merge orchestral arrangements, tape art, and location-based installations. These internationally exhibited works exemplify her focus on making environmental relationships visible through interdisciplinary artistic interventions.

The Extended Reality Collaborative (XRC) serves as her primary research ecosystem, facilitating collaborations with Indigenous communities, historians, and technologists to develop projects that sit at the critical intersection of technology, ecology, and social practice.