Dan Lockton
@danlockton.com
Utrecht, Netherlands + Norwich, UK
Director of the new Institute for Sustainable Worlds, Norwich University of the Arts ⦿ Design—imagination—climate—futures ⦿ Imaginaries Lab http://imaginari.es ⦿ New Metaphors http://newmetaphors.com ⦿ he/him
Director of the new Institute for Sustainable Worlds, Norwich University of the Arts ⦿ Design—imagination—climate—futures ⦿ Imaginaries Lab http://imaginari.es ⦿ New Metaphors http://newmetaphors.com ⦿ he/him
Join us online on Wed 22 Oct for 'Creative Futures in Education'. We have three amazing speakers: educator-researchers engaging with #futures:
↠ Grace Turtle (Monstrous Futurities, Sandberg Inst)
↠ Christian Petersen (Norwich University of the Arts)
↠ shobhan s (Purdue University & slowstudio)
↠ Grace Turtle (Monstrous Futurities, Sandberg Inst)
↠ Christian Petersen (Norwich University of the Arts)
↠ shobhan s (Purdue University & slowstudio)
October 14, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Join us online on Wed 22 Oct for 'Creative Futures in Education'. We have three amazing speakers: educator-researchers engaging with #futures:
↠ Grace Turtle (Monstrous Futurities, Sandberg Inst)
↠ Christian Petersen (Norwich University of the Arts)
↠ shobhan s (Purdue University & slowstudio)
↠ Grace Turtle (Monstrous Futurities, Sandberg Inst)
↠ Christian Petersen (Norwich University of the Arts)
↠ shobhan s (Purdue University & slowstudio)
A very niche post for the #petrocultures historians of East Anglia, but I thought it was interesting to see “carless” as an intentional typo on the Hiscox advert, as I headed on the train towards Harwich,where for 60 years the Carless name hasn’t been a typo at all
October 8, 2025 at 7:12 PM
A very niche post for the #petrocultures historians of East Anglia, but I thought it was interesting to see “carless” as an intentional typo on the Hiscox advert, as I headed on the train towards Harwich,where for 60 years the Carless name hasn’t been a typo at all
Not convinced that this is really a safe crossing design. At this moment cars from the right have a green light, but because the wait is so long, and the cars on the left are visibly stopped by a red light, pedestrians decide it's probably? safe to cross. Just terrible design.
October 6, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Not convinced that this is really a safe crossing design. At this moment cars from the right have a green light, but because the wait is so long, and the cars on the left are visibly stopped by a red light, pedestrians decide it's probably? safe to cross. Just terrible design.
boss: you get that new john cage record for me?
me: sure did boss, just like you asked
me: sure did boss, just like you asked
September 28, 2025 at 9:20 AM
boss: you get that new john cage record for me?
me: sure did boss, just like you asked
me: sure did boss, just like you asked
If you're in #Utrecht, come along on Friday 26 September for the launch of the Library for Transformative Play @utrechtuniversity.bsky.social
More info / register: unusualcollaborations.ewuu.nl/agenda/playi...
26/09/25, 12:00–14:00
The Playground, Vening Meinesz C Building
Utrecht University
More info / register: unusualcollaborations.ewuu.nl/agenda/playi...
26/09/25, 12:00–14:00
The Playground, Vening Meinesz C Building
Utrecht University
September 21, 2025 at 8:30 PM
If you're in #Utrecht, come along on Friday 26 September for the launch of the Library for Transformative Play @utrechtuniversity.bsky.social
More info / register: unusualcollaborations.ewuu.nl/agenda/playi...
26/09/25, 12:00–14:00
The Playground, Vening Meinesz C Building
Utrecht University
More info / register: unusualcollaborations.ewuu.nl/agenda/playi...
26/09/25, 12:00–14:00
The Playground, Vening Meinesz C Building
Utrecht University
Newsletter for September 2025: Troubling Transitions, Transformative Play, and Between Worlds: imaginari.es/troubling-tr...
September 21, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Newsletter for September 2025: Troubling Transitions, Transformative Play, and Between Worlds: imaginari.es/troubling-tr...
Nearside pedestrian signal lights *only* on the right, as pedestrians face the crossing (introduced with puffin crossings in the 90s), presumably intended to cause pedestrians to turn to face "oncoming traffic" is dangerous here: there's also traffic coming around the corner from the left (4/n)
September 20, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Nearside pedestrian signal lights *only* on the right, as pedestrians face the crossing (introduced with puffin crossings in the 90s), presumably intended to cause pedestrians to turn to face "oncoming traffic" is dangerous here: there's also traffic coming around the corner from the left (4/n)
Been thinking (again) a bit about how different assumptions and priorities in systems become encoded in the design of everyday experiences, as I travel between the Netherlands and UK so often.
This puffin crossing outside #Norwich railway station provides an example every time I use it: (1/n)
This puffin crossing outside #Norwich railway station provides an example every time I use it: (1/n)
September 20, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Been thinking (again) a bit about how different assumptions and priorities in systems become encoded in the design of everyday experiences, as I travel between the Netherlands and UK so often.
This puffin crossing outside #Norwich railway station provides an example every time I use it: (1/n)
This puffin crossing outside #Norwich railway station provides an example every time I use it: (1/n)
Interesting days at the @tyndallcentre.bsky.social's Our Critical Decade for Climate Action conference tyndall.ac.uk/events/criti... including exhibiting—at the Sainsbury Centre!—a tiny glimpse of Sunsets & Sunrises, people's visions of futures lost & found imaginari.es/wp-content/u...
September 9, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Interesting days at the @tyndallcentre.bsky.social's Our Critical Decade for Climate Action conference tyndall.ac.uk/events/criti... including exhibiting—at the Sainsbury Centre!—a tiny glimpse of Sunsets & Sunrises, people's visions of futures lost & found imaginari.es/wp-content/u...
What are the “growing pains” of designing for sustainability and transitions?
Our "Troubling Transitions" track for Design Research Society #DRS2026 in Edinburgh (8-12 June 2026) is open and we'd really welcome your perspectives drs2026.thedrs.org/10-2-troubli...
Abstracts: 31/10; papers: 14/11
Our "Troubling Transitions" track for Design Research Society #DRS2026 in Edinburgh (8-12 June 2026) is open and we'd really welcome your perspectives drs2026.thedrs.org/10-2-troubli...
Abstracts: 31/10; papers: 14/11
September 8, 2025 at 1:07 PM
What are the “growing pains” of designing for sustainability and transitions?
Our "Troubling Transitions" track for Design Research Society #DRS2026 in Edinburgh (8-12 June 2026) is open and we'd really welcome your perspectives drs2026.thedrs.org/10-2-troubli...
Abstracts: 31/10; papers: 14/11
Our "Troubling Transitions" track for Design Research Society #DRS2026 in Edinburgh (8-12 June 2026) is open and we'd really welcome your perspectives drs2026.thedrs.org/10-2-troubli...
Abstracts: 31/10; papers: 14/11
The amazing @jochamb.bsky.social and I got married last week! Thanks to all our family and friends for making it such a special day for us ❤️
July 14, 2025 at 7:41 AM
The amazing @jochamb.bsky.social and I got married last week! Thanks to all our family and friends for making it such a special day for us ❤️
I can't believe that "Emperor's New Vibes" has only this one Tumblr using the phrase. That's a bestselling book title right there!
June 28, 2025 at 7:31 AM
I can't believe that "Emperor's New Vibes" has only this one Tumblr using the phrase. That's a bestselling book title right there!
I've long thought that confusion between power (W) and energy (kWh) in popular media feeds a general misunderstanding. We've all heard "kilowatts per hour" and things like that. Most everyday units don't work in that way (rate being the base unit, and then multiplying by time).
June 24, 2025 at 5:06 AM
I've long thought that confusion between power (W) and energy (kWh) in popular media feeds a general misunderstanding. We've all heard "kilowatts per hour" and things like that. Most everyday units don't work in that way (rate being the base unit, and then multiplying by time).
When was the last time you saw the (beautiful, in retrospect) photocopier paper jam icon? I feel like it passed without our noticing.
If @unicode.org included this, it would be such a useful metaphor for so many things.
If @unicode.org included this, it would be such a useful metaphor for so many things.
June 15, 2025 at 8:07 AM
When was the last time you saw the (beautiful, in retrospect) photocopier paper jam icon? I feel like it passed without our noticing.
If @unicode.org included this, it would be such a useful metaphor for so many things.
If @unicode.org included this, it would be such a useful metaphor for so many things.
What matters to those who live in these futures, human or otherwise? What can we learn from how we imagine these futures, that might give us insight into our current contexts?
June 5, 2025 at 7:25 PM
What matters to those who live in these futures, human or otherwise? What can we learn from how we imagine these futures, that might give us insight into our current contexts?
In our workshop, we built speculative future North Sea land/waterscapes, and explored what moments of everyday life might be like through stories. We had Wetropolis with buildings on stilts, new seashore hermits' cabins, giant saline frogs, and a salt-based community travelling using Zorb balls.
June 5, 2025 at 7:25 PM
In our workshop, we built speculative future North Sea land/waterscapes, and explored what moments of everyday life might be like through stories. We had Wetropolis with buildings on stilts, new seashore hermits' cabins, giant saline frogs, and a salt-based community travelling using Zorb balls.
This has been an excellent programme of speakers & workshops bringing together artists, curators, designers, scientists, activists, researchers, policymakers, & community leaders to explore how art and culture can shape global climate action. Tomorrow we're visiting Gt Yarmouth with Originalprojects
June 5, 2025 at 7:25 PM
This has been an excellent programme of speakers & workshops bringing together artists, curators, designers, scientists, activists, researchers, policymakers, & community leaders to explore how art and culture can shape global climate action. Tomorrow we're visiting Gt Yarmouth with Originalprojects
Thanks to everyone who took part today in New Waterscapes: Tales from Imagined Coastal Futures, a workshop as part of the Sainsbury Centre & Norwich University of the Arts' symposium 'Shared Seas: Coastal Encounters' organised by Candice Allison & John Kenneth Paranada.
June 5, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Thanks to everyone who took part today in New Waterscapes: Tales from Imagined Coastal Futures, a workshop as part of the Sainsbury Centre & Norwich University of the Arts' symposium 'Shared Seas: Coastal Encounters' organised by Candice Allison & John Kenneth Paranada.
I found the exit, everyone!
May 28, 2025 at 8:42 PM
I found the exit, everyone!
Thanks, that makes sense! (I think)
May 15, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Thanks, that makes sense! (I think)
Still, for the one on the station building it’s forever 7.55
April 15, 2025 at 5:54 AM
Still, for the one on the station building it’s forever 7.55
Something charming but also a bit sad about how no-one’s remembered to put the platform clock at Harwich International forward for BST.
I mean I can understand it being too much hassle to do it on a VCR, but maybe for an ‘international’ railway station it might be worth doing?
I mean I can understand it being too much hassle to do it on a VCR, but maybe for an ‘international’ railway station it might be worth doing?
April 15, 2025 at 5:51 AM
Something charming but also a bit sad about how no-one’s remembered to put the platform clock at Harwich International forward for BST.
I mean I can understand it being too much hassle to do it on a VCR, but maybe for an ‘international’ railway station it might be worth doing?
I mean I can understand it being too much hassle to do it on a VCR, but maybe for an ‘international’ railway station it might be worth doing?
Some examples to re-live the memories 😅🐔
April 7, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Some examples to re-live the memories 😅🐔