John Thackara

John Thackara (born 6 August 1951, Newcastle upon Tyne) is a British-born writer, advisor and public speaker. He curated the celebrated Doors of Perception conference for 20 years– first in Amsterdam, later across India - and is a Senior Fellow at the Royal College of Art in London. Thackara writes about live examples of what a sustainable future can be like with a special focus on social and ecological design. He has published online since 1993 at thackara.com and in books; his most recent title is How To Thrive In the Next Economy (Thames & Hudson 2015).

Thackara studied philosophy, and trained as a journalist, before working for ten years as a book publisher and magazine editor. He was the first director (1993—1999) of the Netherlands Design Institute, in Amsterdam, and curated Doors of Perception from 2000-2016. He has been program director of Designs of the Time (Dott), the social innovation biennial in England, and curated City Eco Lab - the French design biennial. Thackara has curated place-based professional workshops - called xskools - in 11 countries; he has given keynote talks, and chaired international conferences, in 41 countries; he has chaired or served on professional awards juries in the USA, India, and Europe.

Appointed a senior fellow at the RCA in 2011, Thackara is currently visiting professor at School of Visual Arts in New York, and an advisor to: Chora Connection (Denmark); Konstfack (Sweden); Cateran's Common Wealth (Scotland); The Nubian Vault Association (France); Unbox Festival (India); Upstarter (London); Participatory City (London).

Thackara once drove a London bus (routes 73 and 134). He lives in South West France. .

Born Newcastle upon Tyne, England, 6 August 1951
Son of Alexander Daniel Thackara, and Eleanor Hazel, née Miller

Marlborough College 1964-1969
University of Kent, 1970 – 1974, BA, Philosophy
University of Wales Centre for Journalism Studies, 1974 – 1975
Master's Degree, Journalism

Royal College of Art, London, 2011 – Present, Senior Fellow

Doors of Perception, Amsterdam, 2000-2016, Founder and Director
Thackara was the founder and Director of Doors of Perception. This event production company organised festivals in Europe and India which brought together grassroots innovators to work with designers to imagine sustainable futures – and take practical steps to meet basic needs in new and sustainable ways. This hybrid community of practice was 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.

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