Mark Thomson

Cybernetic Imagination Resident

Picture of Mark Thomson

Location
Virtual Appointment

Mark Thomson is an Australian author, designer and artist who has pursued a cross-disciplinary career in the last four decades. He is the author and photographer of several best-selling books including Blokes & Sheds, Makers, Breakers & Fixers, Rare Trades and more recently, The Lost Tools of Henry Hoke. The last of these books was also made into a 20-part interstitial series for ABC television.

Through these activities and as the founder of the Institute of Backyard Studies (IBYS), Mark has investigated cultures of resourcefulness, the link between hand, brain and problem solving and how people find meaning from these activities. Using the insights gained from this work, Mark has designed or curated numerous exhibitions and projects for organisations such as the National Museum of Australia, Questacon and the SA Maritime Museum. He is currently exploring the possibilities of geolocated storytelling, through GPS-based apps linked to specific locations.

Mark also worked with the 3A Institute, now part of the School of Cybernetics, at the Australian National University running a workshop on the relationship between technology, history and storytelling.

You are on Aboriginal land.

The Australian National University acknowledges, celebrates and pays our respects to the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people of the Canberra region and to all First Nations Australians on whose traditional lands we meet and work, and whose cultures are among the oldest continuing cultures in human history.

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