The Conceptual Designer in 1965: Stephen Willats interviewed by Bronac Ferran

Abstract

This text is drawn from an interview with Stephen Willats by Bronaċ Ferran in summer 2016. Questions set by Ferran were answered by Willats who, working with the transcription of the interview edited it further, adding new answers to new questions. Ferran then revised her questions. In the interview Willats reveals why he came up with the concept of the Conceptual Designer, the evolution of his Shift Boxes and Visual Automatics works, how cybernetics, media theory and design communication impacted on his practice, the influence of Ross Ashby's homeostatic network thinking, the development of Multiple Clothing and self-organizing furniture, his time at Ipswich School of Art devising problem situations and socially engaged solutions with students and the creation of Control magazine.