John Thackara
Encyclopedia
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
organises festivals in Europe and India in which grassroots innovators work with designers to imagine sustainable futures - and take practical steps to realize them. Doors works with an international community
International community
The international community is a term used in international relations to refer to all peoples, cultures and governments of the world or to a group of them. The term is used to imply the existence of common duties and obligations between them...
of design and innovation professionals, and students, whose aim is to learn how to design services, some of them enabled by information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, that meet basic needs
Basic needs
The basic needs approach is one of the major approaches to the measurement of absolute poverty. It attempts to define the absolute minimum resources necessary for long-term physical well-being, usually in terms of consumption goods. The poverty line is then defined as the amount of income...
in new and sustainable ways. This unique community of practice
Community of practice
A community of practice is, according to cognitive anthropologists Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger, a group of people who share an interest, a craft, and/or a profession. The group can evolve naturally because of the members' common interest in a particular domain or area, or it can be created...
is inspired by two related questions: "we know what new technology can do, but what is it for?" and, “how do we want to live?”. The results are published on the Doors of Perception website, and discussed at the Doors of Perception conference.
In 2008 John Thackara was also commissioner of City Eco Lab at St Etienne
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France. It is located in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region, along the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon...
, in the Rhone Alps region of France
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
. This was a nomadic market of projects which, by making projects visible to the wider populace, started people talking about ways they might be improved - or about doing similar projects themselves. The event was hosted by the St Etienne Cite du Design.
During 2005-2007 John was programme director of Designs of the Time
Designs of the Time
Designs of the Time is a UK design and innovation programme that aims to drive the development of new solutions to social and economic challenges by involving communities in designing local services...
(Dott 2007) in North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
. Dott 07 was a two year programme of sustainability projects commissioned by the Design Council
Design Council
The Design Council is a United Kingdom non-departmental public body incorporated by Royal Charter and registered as a charity.Registered charity number 272099.- In the beginning :The Design Council started in 1944 as the Council of Industrial Design...
and the region's economic Regional development agency
Regional Development Agency
In the United Kingdom, a regional development agency is a non-departmental public body established for the purpose of development, primarily economic, of one of England's Government Office regions. There is one RDA for each of the NUTS level 1 regions of England...
, One NorthEast
One NorthEast
One North East is the regional development agency for the North East England region.-History:It was established in April 1999. The North East receives a lot of government aid for regeneration....
. Dott 07 culminated in a two week festival on the banks of the River Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
in North East England. Dott was inspired by two questions: 'what might life in a sustainable region be like? (and) what design steps might get us there?". Full story at dott07.com.
Before co-founding Doors in 2000 (with Kristi van Riet) , John was the first Director (1993–1999) of the Netherlands Design Institute. The Institute, which was founded by the Dutch government and the city of Amsterdam in 1993, was a think-and-do tank whose mission was to increase the economic and social contribution of design. The Institute's projects brought together a variety of design specialists, users, and experts in many other disciplines. Doors of Perception was the institute's flagship conference. John left the Institute in 1999 and set up Doors of Perception as an independent company in 2000.
Prior to the Netherlands Design Institute, John was founder and managing director of Design Analysis International Limited. The activities of this small London-based company included an International symposium on science, innovation and design for the Asahi Shimbun
Asahi Shimbun
The is the second most circulated out of the five national newspapers in Japan. Its circulation, which was 7.96 million for its morning edition and 3.1 million for its evening edition as of June 2010, was second behind that of Yomiuri Shimbun...
(Tokyo, 1987); exhibitions for Axis Gallery (Tokyo); a conference on Interactivity and Environments for the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
(Paris, 1989); An exhibition called Image and Object at the Centre Pompidou (Paris 1989); Mirror of Medicine, an exhibition for the 150th anniversary the British Medical Journal
British Medical Journal
BMJ is a partially open-access peer-reviewed medical journal. Originally called the British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988. The journal is published by the BMJ Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association...
, curator Peter Dormer; research and commentary on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Design Awards programmes in 1990 and 1992; T-Zone, an exhibition of Japanese architecture
Japanese architecture
' originated in prehistoric times with simple pit-houses and stores that were adapted to a hunter-gatherer population. Influence from Han Dynasty China via Korea saw the introduction of more complex grain stores and ceremonial burial chambers....
and video, with Riiche Miyake, for the Architectural Association (Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
1992); The Inventive Spirit, a touring art, technology and design exhibition for the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
(Vienna, Leipsig, Turin, Brussels, 1992); and Sovereign, research and procurement (in ten months, from start to opening) of a national exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
to commemorate The Queen's 40th anniversary as sovereign. Designed by Pentagram. (London 1992).
From 1998-2002 John was also Director of Research at the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
(RCA) in London. He was appointed to this newly created position by the RCA's then Rector, Jocelyn Stevens, to develop a research strategy, and a programme of live, real-world projects, that would help the College take a leadership role as an outward-facing centre of innovation.
During 1985-1986, John worked for two years as a freelance journalist
Freelancer
A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is somebody who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long term. These workers are often represented by a company or an agency that resells their labor and that of others to its clients with or without project management and...
. He was, inter alia, Modern Culture Editor, Harpers & Queen
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
; Design Correspondent for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
; Design Correspondent for The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
; and a contributor to the The Late Show (BBC).
From 1980 to 1985, on returning from Australia, he was editor of the UK Design Council's monthly publication, Design.
From 1974-1980 John worked as a commissioning editor
Commissioning editor (book publishing)
In book publishing, a commissioning editor is essentially a buyer. It is the job of the commissioning editor to advise the publishing house on which books to publish. Usually the actual decision of whether or not to contract a book is taken by a senior manager rather than the editor.-...
in book publishing
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
, first for Granada Publishing in the UK, and latterly for New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
University Press in Sydney Australia
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.During the time he was also the founder and editor (with Hilary Arnold) of Cheap Eats in Sydney.
John was also a London bus
Buses in London
The London Bus is one of London's principal icons, the archetypal red rear-entrance double-deck Routemaster being recognised worldwide. Although the Routemaster has now been largely phased out of service, with only two heritage routes still using the vehicles, the majority of buses in London are...
driver (routes 73 and 134).
He lives in the South of France with his wife, Kristi van Riet. His daughter, Kate Thackara, lives in London.
Writings
BOOKS BY JOHN THACKARAClean Growth: From Mindless Development to Design Mindfulness, Innovation White Paper
White paper
A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to...
1/6, Series Editor Stuart Madonald, The Robert Gordon University
Robert Gordon University
Robert Gordon University is located in Aberdeen, Scotland. Building on over 250 years involvement in education, it was granted university status in 1992. Robert Gordon University currently has approximately 16,407 students at its two campuses at Garthdee and the City Centre, studying on over 145...
, Aberdeen, 2009
Wouldn't It be Great If....Designs of The Time Manual. London, Design Council, 2007.
In the Bubble: Designing in a Complex World. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press
MIT Press
The MIT Press is a university press affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts .-History:...
, 2005
http://www.thackara.com/inthebubble/index.html
French edition : In the Bubble, de la complexité au design durable, John Thackara, Publication de l’université de St Etienne, Cité du Design éditions
Brazil edition: Plano B - Plan B - In the bubble by John Thackara http://www.virgilia.com.br/category/design-by-thackara/
Italian edition : In the Bubble Design Per un Futuro Sostenibile, Editore Allemandi 2008
The New Geographies of Learning. Amsterdam: University of Professional Education (HvA), 2003
Winners! How Europe's Most Successful Companies Use Design To Innovate. London: Ashgate, 1999
Lost In Space: A Traveler's Tale, Haarlem: De Grafische Haarlem, 1994
DoPRom (Doors of Perception CDRom
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
; co-editor) Amsterdam: Mediamatic, 1994
Architects' Data: Handbook of Building Types, Ernst Neufert, (ed John Thackara, Vincent Jones) London Wiley, 1992
T-Zone (co-edited with Riiche Miyake) Brussels: Europalia (in association with Architectural Association) 1991
Leading Edge (ed) Tokyo: Axis 1990
Image and Object: Nouveau Design de Londres (ed). Paris: Centre Pompidou
Centre Georges Pompidou
Centre Georges Pompidou is a complex in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles, rue Montorgueil and the Marais...
, 1990
Design After Modernism: Beyond the Object (ed), London: Thames and Hudson
Thames & Hudson
Thames & Hudson is a publisher of illustrated books on art, architecture, design, and visual culture. With its headquarters in London, England it has a sister company in New York and subsidiaries in Melbourne, Singapore and Hong Kong...
, 1988
Design After Modernism
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
(Japanese edition, revised). Tokyo: Kajima, 1992
New British Design. Co-edited with Stuart Jane. London: Thames and Hudson, 1987
WEBSITE, NEWSLETTER , BLOG
Doors of Perception (blog) since 2004.
http://www.doorsofperception.com/
Doors of Perception Report (email newsletter, mMonthly since March 2002.
http://www.doorsofperception.com/mailinglist/archives.php