Rickard Whittingham

Assistant Professor

Department: Northumbria School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries

I have a background as a practicing furniture designer for both production and limited edition. I have 20 years of experience of lecturing, teaching and mentoring in various contexts from Higher education through to community based projects. I am a director of the North East based Art and Design Community Project, Kids Kabin. I co-ordinate the graduate Designers in Residence scheme and the Tools for Everyday Life project at Northumbria University.

I am an admirer of the work of the furniture designer Hans J. Wegner, the enterprise of Yvon Chouinard, the novels of Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, Oslo’s Frogner park and the lyrics of Bruce Springsteen.

Email Rickard

Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

My current research interests are:

The Tools for Everyday Life. This project explores how designers can treat people, not as passive users of artefacts but as skilled operators of rewarding products and furniture.

Freed form a workshop. Drawing upon the rich history of workholding in woodwork this project investigates how devices to immobilise a work piece that are not reliant on size and weight can broaden the venues for woodwork. Working with community groups engaged in outreach programmes for young people, this is a practice led initiative to develop mobile workholding methods enabling the engagement of those with no or limited access to traditional workshops spaces and equipment.