WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.000 My name is Kate Hartman. 00:00:07.000 --> 00:00:09.000 And I like to make devices 00:00:09.000 --> 00:00:11.000 that play with the ways 00:00:11.000 --> 00:00:13.000 that we relate and communicate. 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:16.000 So I'm specifically interested in how we, as humans, 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:18.000 relate to ourselves, each other 00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:21.000 and the world around us. 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:32.000 (Laughter) 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:34.000 So just to give you a bit of context, 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:37.000 as June said, I'm an artist, a technologist and an educator. 00:00:37.000 --> 00:00:39.000 I teach courses in physical computing 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:41.000 and wearable electronics. 00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:43.000 And much of what I do is either wearable 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:46.000 or somehow related to the human form. NOTE Paragraph 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:48.000 And so anytime I talk about what I do, 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:50.000 I like to just quickly address 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:52.000 the reason why bodies matter. 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:55.000 And it's pretty simple. 00:00:55.000 --> 00:00:57.000 Everybody's got one -- all of you. 00:00:57.000 --> 00:00:59.000 I can guarantee, everyone in this room, 00:00:59.000 --> 00:01:01.000 all of you over there, the people in the cushy seats, 00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:03.000 the people up top with the laptops -- 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:05.000 we all have bodies. 00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:07.000 Don't be ashamed. 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:09.000 It's something that we have in common 00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:12.000 and they act as our primary interfaces for the world. 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:15.000 And so when working as an interaction designer, 00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:17.000 or as an artist who deals with participation -- 00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:21.000 creating things that live on, in or around the human form -- 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:24.000 it's really a powerful space to work within. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:26.000 So within my own work, 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:29.000 I use a broad range of materials and tools. 00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:32.000 So I communicate through everything from radio transceivers 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:34.000 to funnels and plastic tubing. 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:36.000 And to tell you a bit about the things that I make, 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:38.000 the easiest place to start the story 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:41.000 is with a hat. 00:01:41.000 --> 00:01:43.000 And so it all started several years ago, 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:46.000 late one night when I was sitting on the subway, riding home, 00:01:46.000 --> 00:01:48.000 and I was thinking. 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:51.000 And I tend to be a person who thinks too much and talks too little. 00:01:51.000 --> 00:01:53.000 And so I was thinking about how it might be great 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:55.000 if I could just take all these noises -- 00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:57.000 like all these sounds of my thoughts in my head -- 00:01:57.000 --> 00:01:59.000 if I could just physically extricate them 00:01:59.000 --> 00:02:01.000 and pull them out in such a form 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:04.000 that I could share them with somebody else. 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:07.000 And so I went home, and I made a prototype of this hat. 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:09.000 And I called it the Muttering Hat, 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:12.000 because it emitted these muttering noises 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:14.000 that were kind of tethered to you, 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:16.000 but you could detach them 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:19.000 and share them with somebody else. NOTE Paragraph 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:25.000 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:27.000 So I make other hats as well. 00:02:27.000 --> 00:02:29.000 This one is called the Talk to Yourself Hat. 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:31.000 (Laughter) 00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:33.000 It's fairly self-explanatory. 00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:37.000 It physically carves out conversation space for one. 00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:39.000 And when you speak out loud, 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:43.000 the sound of your voice is actually channeled back into your own ears. 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:47.000 (Laughter) 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:49.000 And so when I make these things, 00:02:49.000 --> 00:02:52.000 it's really not so much about the object itself, 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:55.000 but rather the negative space around the object. 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:58.000 So what happens when a person puts this thing on? 00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:00.000 What kind of an experience do they have? 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:03.000 And how are they transformed by wearing it? NOTE Paragraph 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:08.000 So many of these devices 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:11.000 really kind of focus on the ways in which we relate to ourselves. 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:14.000 So this particular device is called the Gut Listener. 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:16.000 And it is a tool 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:18.000 that actually enables one 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:21.000 to listen to their own innards. 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:28.000 (Laughter) 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:31.000 And so some of these things 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:33.000 are actually more geared toward expression and communication. 00:03:33.000 --> 00:03:35.000 And so the Inflatable Heart 00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:37.000 is an external organ 00:03:37.000 --> 00:03:40.000 that can be used by the wearer to express themselves. 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:43.000 So they can actually inflate it and deflate it 00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:45.000 according to their emotions. 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:48.000 So they can express everything from admiration and lust 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:51.000 to anxiety and angst. 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:53.000 (Laughter) 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:55.000 And some of these are actually meant 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:57.000 to mediate experiences. 00:03:57.000 --> 00:04:00.000 So the Discommunicator is a tool for arguments. 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:02.000 (Laughter) 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:05.000 And so actually it allows for an intense emotional exchange, 00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:07.000 but is serves to absorb 00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:10.000 the specificity of the words that are delivered. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:16.000 (Laughter) 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:18.000 And in the end, 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:20.000 some of these things just act as invitations. 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:23.000 So the Ear Bender literally puts something out there 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:25.000 so someone can grab your ear 00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:27.000 and say what they have to say. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:27.000 --> 00:04:29.000 So even though I'm really interested in the relationship 00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:31.000 between people, 00:04:31.000 --> 00:04:33.000 I also consider the ways 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:35.000 in which we relate to the world around us. 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:38.000 And so when I was first living in New York City a few years back, 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:40.000 I was thinking a lot about 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:42.000 the familiar architectural forms that surrounded me 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:45.000 and how I would like to better relate to them. 00:04:45.000 --> 00:04:47.000 And I thought, "Well, hey! 00:04:47.000 --> 00:04:49.000 Maybe if I want to better relate to walls, 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:51.000 maybe I need to be more wall-like myself." 00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:53.000 So I made a wearable wall 00:04:53.000 --> 00:04:55.000 that I could wear as a backpack. 00:04:55.000 --> 00:04:57.000 And so I would put it on 00:04:57.000 --> 00:04:59.000 and sort of physically transform myself 00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:01.000 so that I could either contribute to or critique 00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:03.000 the spaces that surrounded me. NOTE Paragraph 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:05.000 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:08.000 And so jumping off of that, 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:11.000 thinking beyond the built environment into the natural world, 00:05:11.000 --> 00:05:14.000 I have this ongoing project called Botanicalls -- 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:16.000 which actually enables houseplants 00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:18.000 to tap into human communication protocols. 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:20.000 So when a plant is thirsty, 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:22.000 it can actually make a phone call 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:25.000 or post a message to a service like Twitter. 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:29.000 And so this really shifts the human/plant dynamic, 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:32.000 because a single house plant 00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:34.000 can actually express its needs 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:37.000 to thousands of people at the same time. NOTE Paragraph 00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:39.000 And so kind of thinking about scale, 00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:41.000 my most recent obsession 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:45.000 is actually with glaciers -- of course. 00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:48.000 And so glaciers are these magnificent beings, 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:51.000 and there's lots of reasons to be obsessed with them, 00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:53.000 but what I'm particularly interested in 00:05:53.000 --> 00:05:55.000 is in human-glacier relations. 00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:57.000 (Laughter) 00:05:57.000 --> 00:05:59.000 Because there seems to be an issue. 00:05:59.000 --> 00:06:01.000 The glaciers are actually leaving us. 00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:03.000 They're both shrinking and retreating -- 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:05.000 and some of them have disappeared altogether. NOTE Paragraph 00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:08.000 And so I actually live in Canada now, 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:10.000 so I've been visiting one of my local glaciers. 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:12.000 And this one's particularly interesting, 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:14.000 because, of all the glaciers in North America, 00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:17.000 it receives the highest volume of human traffic in a year. 00:06:17.000 --> 00:06:20.000 They actually have these buses that drive up and over the lateral moraine 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:23.000 and drop people off on the surface of the glacier. NOTE Paragraph 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:25.000 And this has really gotten me thinking 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:27.000 about this experience of the initial encounter. 00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:31.000 When I meet a glacier for the very first time, 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:33.000 what do I do? 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:37.000 There's no kind of social protocol for this. 00:06:37.000 --> 00:06:39.000 I really just don't even know 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:41.000 how to say hello. 00:06:41.000 --> 00:06:44.000 Do I carve a message in the snow? 00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:46.000 Or perhaps I can assemble one 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:48.000 out of dot and dash ice cubes -- 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:50.000 ice cube Morse code. 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:52.000 Or perhaps I need to make myself a speaking tool, 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:54.000 like an icy megaphone 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:56.000 that I can use to amplify my voice 00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:58.000 when I direct it at the ice. 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:00.000 But really the most satisfying experience I've had 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:02.000 is the act of listening, 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:04.000 which is what we need in any good relationship. NOTE Paragraph 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:07.000 And I was really struck by how much it affected me. 00:07:07.000 --> 00:07:10.000 This very basic shift in my physical orientation 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:12.000 helped me shift my perspective 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:14.000 in relation to the glacier. 00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:16.000 And so since we use devices 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:20.000 to figure out how to relate to the world these days, 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:23.000 I actually made a device called the Glacier Embracing Suit. 00:07:23.000 --> 00:07:25.000 (Laughter) 00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:28.000 And so this is constructed out of a heat reflected material 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:30.000 that serves to mediate the difference in temperature 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:33.000 between the human body and the glacial ice. 00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:36.000 And once again, it's this invitation 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:40.000 that asks people to lay down on the glacier 00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:43.000 and give it a hug. NOTE Paragraph 00:07:43.000 --> 00:07:45.000 So, yea, this is actually just the beginning. 00:07:45.000 --> 00:07:47.000 These are initial musings for this project. 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:50.000 And just as with the wall, how I wanted to be more wall-like, 00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:54.000 with this project, I'd actually like to take more a of glacial pace. 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:56.000 And so my intent 00:07:56.000 --> 00:08:00.000 is to actually just take the next 10 years 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:04.000 and go on a series of collaborative projects 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:06.000 where I work with people from different disciplines -- 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:08.000 artists, technologists, scientists -- 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:10.000 to kind of work on this project 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:13.000 of how we can improve human-glacier relations. NOTE Paragraph 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:17.000 So beyond that, in closing, 00:08:17.000 --> 00:08:20.000 I'd just like to say that we're in this era 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:23.000 of communications and device proliferation, 00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:26.000 and it's really tremendous and exciting and sexy, 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:28.000 but I think what's really important 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:30.000 is thinking about how we can simultaneously 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:33.000 maintain a sense of wonder and a sense of criticality 00:08:33.000 --> 00:08:36.000 about the tools that we use and the ways in which we relate to the world. NOTE Paragraph 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:38.000 Thanks. NOTE Paragraph 00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:44.000 (Applause)