Speakers Kate Hartman: Artist and technologist

Kate Hartman creates devices and interfaces for humans, houseplants, and glaciers. Her work playfully questions the ways in which we relate and communicate.

Why you should listen to her:

Kate Hartman, Professor of Wearable and Mobile Technology at the Ontario College of Art and Design, uses simple, open-source technology to build objects and do-it-yourself kits, such as her Inflatable Heart or Glacier Embracing Suit -- that allow for new modes of expression and communication.

She is the co-creator of Botanicalls, a system for letting plants tweet and call their owners when they need watering, or more sunlight. Aways mixing the whimsical with the thought provoking, Hartman and her work raise key questions about how we communicate with our environment, and with ourselves.