Articles by John Thackara
John Thackara is a writer, curator and event producer – and visiting professor at Tongji University – with a focus on urban-rural reconnection. He curated the celebrated Doors of Perception conference for 20 years – first in Amsterdam, later across India – and was commissioner of the UK social innovation biennial Dott 07, the French design biennial City Eco Lab, and the 2019 China exhibition Urban-Rural. With a focus on social, ecological and relational design, Thackara has curated biennials and place-based xskool workshops in 20 countries. He studied philosophy before working for ten years as a book publisher and magazine editor. He was the first director (1993—99) of the Netherlands Design Institute. He is a Senior Fellow at the Royal College of Art, and visiting professor at Polytechnic University of Milan and the School of Visual Arts in New York. His most recent book – How To Thrive In the Next Economy: Designing Tomorrow’s World Today – was published in China in 2019.
Articles by
John Thackara
John Thackara: ‘Strange’ ideas don’t sound so strange in strange times
This is part 2 of a conversation with John Thackara. In part 1 we talked about what the future might hold for humanity, and here we talk about what our responses might be. ‘Strange’ ideas might be required for strange times.
John Thackara: What does the future hold for humanity?
This is part 1 of a conversation with John Thackara – senior fellow of the Royal College of Art, visiting professor at Tongji University, Shanghai, founder and director of the Doors of Perception sustainable design conferences, and author of many books, including How to Thrive in the Next Economy.