This version corresponds to the dissertation submitted for examination on Dec 16th 2013. The viva was held on 24th March 2014 and the Phd awarded subject to non-major changes. Coming soon is a revised version which responds to the examiner's comments.

Four decades of design practice

The dissertation

This selection from my full portfolio of design practice forms an appendix to my 20,000 word dissertation. This includes an Abstract, Introduction, Methodology, Claim,  Theoretical & Conceptual Framework and Bibliography. It will be sent to my external examiners before I am invited to a viva in accordance with the University of Bolton's regulations for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by practice.

Your participation

This is a work in progress, and you can register here to offer comments, reactions, critical friendship or peer review. Such feedback is very welcome indeed, whether it provides me with moral support or even counts as evidence of peer review to my examiners! It is designed to be translateable, but I do not plan to seek translations for it all. Nevertheless if you can offer a translation of this page or my abstract, please contact me and I will be proud to credit your support!

Acknowledgements

In the Appendix 2 - People, I make extensive acknowledgement, to as many as I could recall, who touched my life throughout my practice and the development of my thinking, but special mention is given here to those who helped me to finish this thesis.

Firstly to my lead supervisor Stephen Powell, who has shown me the way by his example and has treated me with the perfect level of encouragement, admonition and advice at every stage - I consider him my extra brother. Dai Griffiths as supervisor has supported me enormously, especially in the final stages.

Thanks also to Margaret Nelson, Roberta Weber, Roger Carlsen, Brendan Tangney and Elizabeth Oldham who all offered me opportunity to talk about the thesis, listened and told me what for.

My mother, father, sister Liz and Joy Hooper have all enquired at regular and helpful intervals with love and respect and thus driven me on.

It is all their fault.