CoSTAR Creative Technologist (Experience and Prototyping)Aley Baracat

I'm an Egyptian creative technologist, experience designer, artist and musician working across XR, games, interactive installations, immersive theatre and music-led storytelling. My practice explores identity, belonging, memory and emotional intimacy through emerging technologies and spatial narrative design. My projects often act as a form of therapeutic practice, addressing themes of identity, sexuality and emotional healing.

I studied Computer Engineering and Graphic Design at the American University in Cairo, before completing an MA in Independent Games and Playable Experience Design at Goldsmiths. Since then, I've worked with organisations including Punchdrunk, No Ghost, Mach49, ProtoPie and Preloaded.

My own work includes Irregular Heartbeats, a mixed reality project developed through Venice Biennale College VR, and The Game of Me, an interactive installation combining projection mapping, AR, physical interaction, live music and personal storytelling, which has toured across Europe and the Middle East. https://aley-baracat.com/

Alongside this, I'm also a singer, songwriter and composer. I released my debut Arabic album, Arrab Aktar, and I'm currently developing a bilingual immersive album, El Balcona, which brings together music, spatial storytelling, visual worlds and live performance.