Jonathan Ventura
Prof. Jonathan Ventura is a Design Anthropologist specializing in social and healthcare design.
Jonathan completed a PhD in applied design anthropology at a joint venue of the industrial design department at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design and the anthropology department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He continued to complete a post-doctorate focusing on social design at the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Royal College of Art, London UK. Today, Jonathan serves as Associate Professor of design research and design theory at the Department of Inclusive Design at Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem, and at The Master Degree Program in Design at Shenkar; he is also a research fellow at the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, at the Royal College of Art, London. Ventura is a co-founder of the Social Design Network, incorporating 8 countries in a global effort of advancing social design pedagogy, research and practice. Ventura published various books and articles focused on design anthropology, design research and theories.
Articles of Jonathan Ventura
Slouching Towards the Abyss
Design theory is a somewhat new sub-discipline in which Flusser’s legacy remains largely unnoticed or perhaps overlooked. This is especially disappointing since his theoretical musings on design and applied theory are of extreme relevance to design scholars and practitioners alike. Flusser’s ability to perceive theoretical vistas of our material surroundings add an interesting layer to his overall perception of the human condition. What’s more, his tendency to navigate between etymology, socio-cultural aspects and everyday phenomena represents an almost exact definition of contemporary design. In this paper we tackle two major issues. Firstly, Flusser’s ability to cut back and forth between languages as a means to discuss various types of subject-matter, which we term the “linguistic chameleon” ability. Secondly the unique trait of sleep - its inability to “be designed”, leaving each of us to fend for ourselves, navigating the night’s terrors. The two issues are bound together, or perhaps navigated through, in discussion on Hebrew which, despite its frugality, is arguably the most suitable language to tackle the physiological (and psychological) process of sleep.