John Morgan

John Morgan serves as Professor for Design, Typography and Book Art at the Academy of Fine Arts Düsseldorf, where he leads a dynamic studio practice welcoming typographers, painters, editors, art directors, sculptors, publishers, performers, and writers within the Freie Kunst (Free Art) program. The class operates as an interdisciplinary collective where traditional artistic boundaries are deliberately blurred through collaborative exploration.

Research focuses on the conceptual framework of 'Entwurf' (translated as 'out-throw' or 'projection'), investigating design, typography, and book art through material and spatial practices. Central to this work is the annual publication 'Raum 106', which serves as both pedagogical tool and creative output, examining macro/micro typography, book-making techniques, and paratextual elements through hands-on production. This methodology fosters experimental approaches to visual communication and spatial design.

Recent projects demonstrate consistent interdisciplinary engagement: the 2022 'Primordial Soup' exhibition at Kassel's Stellwerk Glaspavillon, Thomas Spallek's 2021 suspended exhibition, and multiple 'Raum 106' issues reveal evolving explorations of typographic systems, collaborative authorship, and the physicality of the book form. These works collectively emphasize process-driven creation and the dissolution of disciplinary hierarchies.

Scientific Awards: No awards were referenced in the source material.

Professor Morgan mentors students within the Freie Kunst program through individual practice development within a collective framework. The studio functions as an integrated ecosystem—simultaneously classroom, library, production space, and publishing house—with 'Raum 106' serving as the anchor project that structures annual pedagogical goals and creative output. This model prioritizes experiential learning through publication production and exhibition curation.