Images: 0
0 image 0s in
I was asked by Helen Walters, editor for BusinessWeek.com’s Innovation and Design Channel, to contribute to her article Driving Sustainable Design With Dott 07, John Thackara looks at daily life as a design opportunity and tackles social issues in small doses. Follwing are my thoughts on John Thackara whom I admire greatly.
‘What I love about John is that he is righteous without being self-righteous. He is certainly a tireless preacher but under no illusion that this makes him better than anyone else. I think John would be the first to admit he is not a genius, as advocates that in our day and age ‘genius’ does not lie in the individual. It is within the group and network that you surround yourself where that genius exists. Through his Doors of Perception conferences, website and e-mail newsletters he has inspired thousands of designers to take on a greater awareness and larger responsibility toward their role as a designer in society. He is never about the world of design, but always about the design of the world. He has made me believe we can make a better world.’
‘John does not use fear mongering tactics that, for instance, an Al Gore has needed to use to mobilize the American public about global warming. Rather he looks for practical solutions that all people can adapt and adopt to make a difference in their own lives. It is not a top down approach but rather bottom up. Despite him having all the inclinations of being a cynical old Brit he has never lost this deeply held love and hope for humanity. I wish there was a rich old lady that would donate some of her millions to the work that John does with Doors of Perception. Or maybe Al Gore should give him a call, then we would see some real change.’
1 / 0
