Fellow #2: Dark Matter Labs on Transitioning Together

Indy and Joost are part of the team of Dark Matter Labs, a multidisciplinary design studio developing new working methods for system change. They are focused on the great transitions our societies need to respond to the technological revolution and climate breakdown we face. Their aim is to discover, design, and develop the institutional ‘dark matter’ that supports a more democratic, distributed, and sustainable future, in which everyone – regardless of ability, ethnicity, gender, age, and cultural background – can participate with equal opportunities.

Indy and Joost invited Liz Corbin (London/Amsterdam) to join them in the studio. Liz is Metabolic’s Research Director – leading the activities of their think tank, the Metabolic Institute. Prior to joining Metabolic, Liz spent her time between University College London and the Royal College of Art where she both researched and taught. Liz’s research expertise lies within circular materials design, systems analysis, and digital innovation. Within Metabolic she leverages this background to support cities in their transition towards globally-connected, locally vibrant urban communities that are environmentally sustainable and socially equitable. Key projects she is engaged in include REFLOW, CENTRINNO, FOODE, and the Metabolic Cities Programme.

More about our Fellows:

Indy Johar (London) is the Founder of Dark Matter Labs. An architect by training, Indy works with partners such as Canada’s McConnell Foundation, United Nations Development Programme, and Viable Cities in Sweden to advance our collective understanding of different institutional futures. He was a member of the RSA’s Inclusive Growth Commission, an independent, impactful inquiry designed to understand and identify practical ways to make local economies across the UK more economically inclusive and prosperous. He is a thought leader in system change, next-generation civic and urban infrastructure finance, outcome-based investment, and the future of governance. Indy also co-founded collaborative design studio Project00.

Joost Beunderman (London/Amsterdam) is Co-Founder of Dark Matter Labs and Project00. Over the last two years, he has worked with EIT Climate-KIC on their Deep Demonstration on Healthy Clean Cities, focussing on exploring pathways to accelerated urban transition through the development of portfolios of strategic experiments. He co-curated the UNDP 2018 Istanbul Innovation Days on NextGenGov and the 2019 Harare Innovation Days on NextGenCities and has long had a focus on the interplay between the civic economy and institutional innovations such as in finance and regulation. He is a trustee of the Stadmakersfonds (City Makers Fund) in the Netherlands, set up to support civic city-makers in achieving long-term strength and resilience.