Don't hesitate to contact me
for collaborations or more info.
+32484241291
katoherbots @gmail.com
Belgium
ABOUT
Kato Herbots (BE, 2001) is a product designer and researcher with a material-driven design approach. Her practice challenges anthropocentric preconceptions and explores alternative scenarios by critically examining the relationships between human, materials and context.
With an approach that is both sensitive and situated, she explores how materials and objects are embedded in larger ecological, social and temporal networks, and how they can be altered to actively intervene in these.
Her work is driven by a keen curiosity about the human-nonhuman systems that shape our world. This manifests across a range of topics, including invasive ecologies, infrastructures of waste, and human relationships with environmental actors such as the sun.
Kato is currently a PhD candidate within the Unfolding Ecologies Research Cluster at LUCA School of Arts (Genk). Her design research project Gardening towards the Symbiocene investigates the role of material-driven design practice in imagining more-than-human futures.
CV
EXPERIENCE
2026
PhD candidate at Research Cluster Unfolding Ecologies, LUCA School of Arts
2025
Designer in Residence at Designregio Kortrijk and Abby Museum
2024, 2025
Junior Researcher in Design at LUCA School of Arts
2023
Intership at Studio Johanna Seelemann
2022
Research Unit Inter-Actions LUCA School of Arts,
Dementia Lab
Jobstudent for artistic works
EXHIBITIONS
December 2025
Terra Formata at Metamorphosis,
Rhizome_, Kortrijk, BE
September 2025
Residents of Solar Space at Woven Whispers
by Belguim is Design, CID Grand-Hornu, BE
April 2025
Residents of Solar Space at Woven Whispers
by Belguim is Design, Alcova, Milan, IT
February 2025
Residents of Solar Space at Bewoners van De Zonneruimte,
CC De Bogaard, Sint-Truiden, BE
October 2024
Residents of Solar Space at Interwoven,
DDW, Eindhoven, NL
October 2024
Residents of Solar Space at WE ARE THE NEXT GENERATION,
Kortrijk, BE
September 2024
Residents of Solar Space at Brussels Design September,
Brussels, BE
June 2024
Residents of Solar Space at MATTER(S)/ EXIT,
CCHA, Hasselt, BE
Oktober 2023
Ad Terram exhibited at Interwoven
DDW, Eindhoven, NL
March 2023
Ad Terram exhibited at Design is Dead Expo,
Genk, BE
June 2022
THIS IS NOT A BUMP exhibited at Angewandte Festival,
Vienna, AT
June 2022
WNDRWTR exhibited at Branch Out: a productdesign expo,
Hasselt, BE
March 2022
KASK exhibited at Reshaped: Post-Industrial crafts,
ADAM Design Museum Brussels, BE
September 2021
LOOP - IT exhibited as part of Student Design Challenge,
DDW 2021, Eindhoven, NL
August 2021
KASK exhibited at Maastricht conference on Circular Economy,
Maastricht NL
July 2021
KASK exhibited at Post-Industrial crafts,
Terrarium, Sint-Lukas, Brussel, BE
EDUCATION
2022-2024: Master Product Design, with the highest honors
LUCA School of Arts – campus C-mine
2019- 2022: Bachelor Product Design, with high honors
LUCA School of Arts – campus C-mine
2020-2021: Industrial Design
Die Angewandte - Industrial Design 1
Vienna, Austria
Exchange semester
2013-2019: Mathematics and science
Hasp-O Centrum
High school
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
January 2025
Henry Van De Velde Bronze Award - Design Research for Residents of Solar Space
December 2024
Future Proef Award Laureate for Residents of Solar Space by Duurzaam Educatiepunt, de Vlaamse hogeronderwijsinstellingen en de Stichting voor Toekomstige Generaties.
November 2024