Abstract

I started a business with a vision to have no vision and where everything I wanted to explore was at odds with almost everyone I knew. As a scientist my first hire was an artist and over the years we have discovered that art combined with science approaches nature. Recently I have started to question whether a business can have a gender and what would that mean. My talk tells the story of my journey from one creative world to another and will be full of live demos, what could possibly go wrong.

At Novalia, Kate Stone and her team use ordinary printing presses to manufacture interactive electronics, which combine touch-sensitive ink technology and printed circuits into unique and cost-effective products. At Novalia, Stone says: “The work of my team and myself is the realization of my childhood fascinations. We put electronics into paper, and paper is all around us.” Stone sees herself as a “creative scientist,” blending art and science to create startling fusions of new and old technology. In addition to her work with Novalia, Stone is on the advisory board of Lifeboat, a think tank dedicated to solving the ethical challenges brought about by scientific advances.