Mike Thompson
Staff details
Mike's work delves into the intricacies of material participation.
Mike is a lecturer on the MA Design Expanded Practice. His work employs participatory and making-led design methodologies to explore the intricacies of material participation, critically examining the real and imagined relations within human-nonhuman entanglements and promoting ecological perspectives.
Mike previously co-founded Thought Collider, an art/design studio that combined design prototyping and lab-based practices to interrogate emerging (bio)materials and technologies. This included interdisciplinary collaborations with Kings College London, International Flavours and Fragrances and Waag Society. Mike's work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Museum of Modern Art (New York) and Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona.
Mike's Design Star (AHRC) funded PhD presented an empirical study of the Fatberg project, providing empirical examples, tools and concepts to help designers embrace the messiness and complexities of nonhuman collaborations.
Academic qualifications
- PhD in Design (Goldsmiths University of London) 2023
- MA Contextual Design (Design Academy Eindhoven) 2009
- BA Visual Communication (University for the Creative Arts) 2003
Featured publications
2023:
The fat made us do it: Understanding events that entangle people and vibrant matter
Doctoral thesis
Publications and research outputs
Professional Activity
Thompson, Michael. 2024. Associate Chair, Provocations and Work-in-Progress track, DIS 2024.
Thesis
Thompson, Michael. 2023. The fat made us do it: Understanding events that entangle people and vibrant matter. Doctoral thesis, Goldsmiths, University of London