Kate Hartman: The art of wearable communication

譯者: Regina Chu 審譯者: Joan Liu

My name is Kate Hartman.

我的名字是凱特‧哈特曼

And I like to make devices

我喜歡製造裝置

that play with the ways

讓我們在使用時

that we relate and communicate.

能發生關連及溝通

So I'm specifically interested in how we, as humans,

所以我特別對我們，身為人

relate to ourselves, each other

如何在彼此之間

and the world around us.

以及與周遭世界相連結有興趣

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So just to give you a bit of context,

所以讓我大概說一下我的背景

as June said, I'm an artist, a technologist and an educator.

就像俊介紹的，我是藝術家，科技人，以及教育者

I teach courses in physical computing

我教授體感互動系統

and wearable electronics.

以及可穿戴式電子裝置課程

And much of what I do is either wearable

我所做的東西要不是可以穿在身上

or somehow related to the human form.

就是在某種程度上與人的形體相關

And so anytime I talk about what I do,

所以每一次我談到我在做什麼

I like to just quickly address

我都要簡短地闡述一下

the reason why bodies matter.

為什麼身體很重要

And it's pretty simple.

其實這很簡單

Everybody's got one -- all of you.

每個人都有身體─這裡所有的人

I can guarantee, everyone in this room,

我可以保證，在這個講座裡的每一個人

all of you over there, the people in the cushy seats,

無論是坐在下面軟軟的椅子上的

the people up top with the laptops --

或是上面那些拿著筆電看的人─

we all have bodies.

都有身體

Don't be ashamed.

不要難為情

It's something that we have in common

這是我們的共同點

and they act as our primary interfaces for the world.

身體是我們對外接觸的主要介面

And so when working as an interaction designer,

所以無論是身為互動設計師

or as an artist who deals with participation --

或者是互動藝術家─

creating things that live on, in or around the human form --

創造物件放在體內、體外或是環繞人體─

it's really a powerful space to work within.

身體真的是一個很能讓人發揮的地方

So within my own work,

所以在我的作品中

I use a broad range of materials and tools.

我廣泛的使用各種素材及工具

So I communicate through everything from radio transceivers

所以我透過各式各樣的東西溝通，從無線電收發機

to funnels and plastic tubing.

到漏斗及塑膠管都可以

And to tell you a bit about the things that I make,

如果要談談我做的東西

the easiest place to start the story

最簡單的方法

is with a hat.

就是從一頂帽子談起

And so it all started several years ago,

這一切都要追溯到幾年前

late one night when I was sitting on the subway, riding home,

有一天深夜我坐捷運回家

and I was thinking.

我在想一件事

And I tend to be a person who thinks too much and talks too little.

其實我是一個想的多說的少的人

And so I was thinking about how it might be great

所以我在想這件事

if I could just take all these noises --

如果我可以把這些聲音─

like all these sounds of my thoughts in my head --

譬如這些在我腦海裡的想法的聲音─

if I could just physically extricate them

如果我可以把它實際抽離出來

and pull them out in such a form

轉化成一種具體形式

that I could share them with somebody else.

呈現在別人的面前，該有多好

And so I went home, and I made a prototype of this hat.

所以我到家以後，就做了這頂帽子的原型

And I called it the Muttering Hat,

我稱它為「嘀嘀咕咕帽」

because it emitted these muttering noises

因為它會把這些好像附著在你身上

that were kind of tethered to you,

嘀嘀咕咕的聲音傳輸出來

but you could detach them

你還可以把它拿下來

and share them with somebody else.

與別人分享

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So I make other hats as well.

所以我還做了其他的帽子

This one is called the Talk to Yourself Hat.

這個我稱為「自言自語帽」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

It's fairly self-explanatory.

這很一目了然

It physically carves out conversation space for one.

它為你闢出一個談話的私密空間

And when you speak out loud,

如果你說得夠大聲

the sound of your voice is actually channeled back into your own ears.

你的聲音還會傳回你自己的耳朵裡

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And so when I make these things,

所以當我做這些東西的時候

it's really not so much about the object itself,

其實我的重點不在物品本身

but rather the negative space around the object.

而是在那些「留白」的部分

So what happens when a person puts this thing on?

所以當一個人穿上這個東西的時候會發生甚麼事?

What kind of an experience do they have?

他會體驗到甚麼?

And how are they transformed by wearing it?

他會有怎麼樣的改變?

So many of these devices

所以大部分的裝置

really kind of focus on the ways in which we relate to ourselves.

其實是著重在如何讓我們彼此互動連結

So this particular device is called the Gut Listener.

所以這個裝置叫做「聽聽你的腸子」

And it is a tool

這個工具

that actually enables one

可以讓你

to listen to their own innards.

傾聽你內臟的聲音

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And so some of these things

還有一些東西

are actually more geared toward expression and communication.

是用來表達及溝通情感的

And so the Inflatable Heart

這個「會打氣的心」

is an external organ

是一種外在器官

that can be used by the wearer to express themselves.

可以讓穿著者表達自己

So they can actually inflate it and deflate it

它可以隨著他的情緒

according to their emotions.

充氣或洩氣

So they can express everything from admiration and lust

所以這可以用來表示愛慕及渴望

to anxiety and angst.

或者是焦慮及不安

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And some of these are actually meant

有些裝置則是

to mediate experiences.

拿來居中協調的

So the Discommunicator is a tool for arguments.

所以這個「消音器」適用於爭吵狀態

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And so actually it allows for an intense emotional exchange,

你可以很生氣地對著對方大吼大叫

but is serves to absorb

但是這玩意會吸掉

the specificity of the words that are delivered.

那些很難聽的話

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And in the end,

最後

some of these things just act as invitations.

有些裝置則是純粹模仿

So the Ear Bender literally puts something out there

所以這個「耳朵扭」，正如字面所述，真的裝了一個東西

so someone can grab your ear

可以讓旁人抓住你的耳朵

and say what they have to say.

說他想說的話

So even though I'm really interested in the relationship

所以儘管我對人與人的關係

between people,

有興趣

I also consider the ways

我也常常思考著有沒有其他的方法

in which we relate to the world around us.

可以讓我們跟周遭環境相連

And so when I was first living in New York City a few years back,

所以幾年前當我第一次搬到紐約市住

I was thinking a lot about

我就經常想念著

the familiar architectural forms that surrounded me

這些圍繞著我，看起來非常熟悉的建築形式

and how I would like to better relate to them.

以及我要怎麼跟它建立更好的關係

And I thought, "Well, hey!

我突然領悟到「啊！對啊！

Maybe if I want to better relate to walls,

說不定我是想跟牆壁發展更好的關係

maybe I need to be more wall-like myself."

說不定我要更像一面牆。」

So I made a wearable wall

所以我做了一個能穿在身上的牆

that I could wear as a backpack.

像背包一樣的背著

And so I would put it on

所以當我穿著它

and sort of physically transform myself

我似乎也變成一面牆

so that I could either contribute to or critique

所以我可以對周遭環境

the spaces that surrounded me.

給予貢獻或者造成阻礙

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And so jumping off of that,

現在我們換一種思維

thinking beyond the built environment into the natural world,

從人造的世界跳到自然的世界

I have this ongoing project called Botanicalls --

我一直在做一個叫做「植物電話」的實驗─

which actually enables houseplants

這可以讓家裡的植物

to tap into human communication protocols.

跟人類的通訊規則連上線

So when a plant is thirsty,

所以當一株植物很渴的時候

it can actually make a phone call

它可以打一通電話

or post a message to a service like Twitter.

或者推文到像推特一樣的網站

And so this really shifts the human/plant dynamic,

這會轉變人類與植物的互動

because a single house plant

因為一株小小的植物

can actually express its needs

可以在同一時間內對成千上萬的人

to thousands of people at the same time.

表達它的所需所求

And so kind of thinking about scale,

所以如果要談規模的話

my most recent obsession

我最近迷上了

is actually with glaciers -- of course.

還有誰─當然是冰河

And so glaciers are these magnificent beings,

冰河壯麗無比

and there's lots of reasons to be obsessed with them,

有很多理由可以迷上它

but what I'm particularly interested in

但我最有興趣的

is in human-glacier relations.

是人與冰河的關係

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Because there seems to be an issue.

因為這好像已經成為一個話題

The glaciers are actually leaving us.

就是冰河與我們漸行漸遠了

They're both shrinking and retreating --

他們愈來愈小愈來愈退後

and some of them have disappeared altogether.

有的甚至已經完全消失了

And so I actually live in Canada now,

所以我現在其實是住在加拿大

so I've been visiting one of my local glaciers.

我常去一座離家很近的冰河

And this one's particularly interesting,

而我對它特別有興趣

because, of all the glaciers in North America,

是因為在所有北美冰河裡

it receives the highest volume of human traffic in a year.

它每年都吸引最多人次造訪

They actually have these buses that drive up and over the lateral moraine

他們把這些巴士開到側向冰磧

and drop people off on the surface of the glacier.

讓人在冰河表面下車

And this has really gotten me thinking

這真的不禁讓我想到

about this experience of the initial encounter.

第一次接觸的經驗

When I meet a glacier for the very first time,

當我第一次看到冰河時

what do I do?

我要做什麼？

There's no kind of social protocol for this.

這沒有社交禮節可循的

I really just don't even know

我甚至真的不知道

how to say hello.

要怎麼對它說哈囉

Do I carve a message in the snow?

我要在雪地上刻個簡訊嗎？

Or perhaps I can assemble one

還是我要用一些冰塊

out of dot and dash ice cubes --

拼一個用點與線連成的

ice cube Morse code.

冰塊摩斯密碼

Or perhaps I need to make myself a speaking tool,

還是我得給自己做一個說話的裝置

like an icy megaphone

像是冰製的大聲公

that I can use to amplify my voice

使我在對著冰河說話時

when I direct it at the ice.

用它來擴大我的聲音

But really the most satisfying experience I've had

但是說實話這輩子最讓我滿足的經驗

is the act of listening,

是我聆聽的時候

which is what we need in any good relationship.

我們需要聆聽的技巧以建立好的人際關係

And I was really struck by how much it affected me.

而我非常訝異它對我的影響有多大

This very basic shift in my physical orientation

這個從說到聽的角色轉換

helped me shift my perspective

幫助我改變了

in relation to the glacier.

我看待冰河的觀點

And so since we use devices

所以既然我們使用裝置

to figure out how to relate to the world these days,

來找出我們如何跟外在世界相關聯

I actually made a device called the Glacier Embracing Suit.

我還真的做了一個叫做「擁抱冰河裝」的裝置

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And so this is constructed out of a heat reflected material

這是用熱反射材料作的

that serves to mediate the difference in temperature

它可以中和人體及冰川間

between the human body and the glacial ice.

不同的溫度

And once again, it's this invitation

如同先前的裝置，就是這個東西

that asks people to lay down on the glacier

邀請大家躺在冰河上

and give it a hug.

給冰河一個擁抱

So, yea, this is actually just the beginning.

所以是的，這只是開始

These are initial musings for this project.

這是我對這個計劃初步的構想

And just as with the wall, how I wanted to be more wall-like,

就像牆計劃一樣，我想更像墻

with this project, I'd actually like to take more a of glacial pace.

在這個計劃裡，我其實是要更像冰河的調調

And so my intent

所以我的目標是

is to actually just take the next 10 years

能在未來十年

and go on a series of collaborative projects

與不同領域的專家們

where I work with people from different disciplines --

發展一系列的合作計劃─

artists, technologists, scientists --

讓藝術家，科技人，科學家─

to kind of work on this project

一起在這個冰川計劃上

of how we can improve human-glacier relations.

想想如何增進人與冰河的關係

So beyond that, in closing,

所以進一步說，結論是

I'd just like to say that we're in this era

我只是想說我們處在一個

of communications and device proliferation,

通訊及裝置多產的時代

and it's really tremendous and exciting and sexy,

這真的很棒，令人非常興奮也非常誘人

but I think what's really important

但是我想真正重要的是

is thinking about how we can simultaneously

思考我們該如何

maintain a sense of wonder and a sense of criticality

讓這些使我們與外在世界相連的工具及方法

about the tools that we use and the ways in which we relate to the world.

兼顧感性及理性

Thanks.

謝謝

(Applause)

（掌聲）