Kate Hartman is an artist, technologist, and educator whose work spans the fields of physical computing, wearable electronics, and conceptual art. She is the co-creator of Botanicalls, a system that lets thirsty plants place phone calls for human help, and the Lilypad XBee, a sewable radio transceiver that allows your clothing to communicate. Her work has been exhibited internationally and featured by the New York Times, BBC, CBC, NPR, in books such as “Fashionable Technology” and “Art Science Now”. She was a speaker at TED 2011 and her work is included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Hartman is based in Toronto at OCAD University where she is the Associate Professor of Wearable & Mobile Technology and Director of the Social Body Lab. She is also the director of ITP Camp, a summer program at ITP/NYU.
Nudgeables – two wearable electronic devices that can signal to each other! When you press one button, the other device vibrates, and vice-versa. This way you can send little nudges to your friends across a room!
Botanicalls – A device that you place in the soil next to a plant and it detects and monitors the plant’s vitals. When it detects that the vitals are low or insufficient, it actually calls your phone! Plus, if you call it back, it’ll read some information about itself to you.
Other questions:
What major art/design movement is this artist a part of?
– Kate Hartman is a part of the new media/technology art movement. Her art incorporates technology with traditional and untraditional mediums. She uses circuit boards, wires, fabric, plastic, thread, cardboard, metal, etc..
What novel methods/techniques does this artist integrate into their practice?
– Hartman integrates new with old. Using new technology like circuit boards she places these things with old things like plants and clothing. She combines the items in an elegant and effective manner that is always useful, and not just something pretty to look at.
How did the artist tailor/hybridize emerging technologies into their practice?
– Hartman uses the emerging technologies like raspberry pi circuit boards and other commercially available technology. She puts these easy to buy items together in a unique and original way to create her work.
What elements of public activity are integral to their work?
– Some of Hartman’s work utilizes public elements. The nudgeable invention is meant to be used secretly with a friend/partner in public. This project of hers kind of subverts the act of outward communication and shows the intimacy and necessity of private communication in public.
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