Education
Loughborough University.
Loughborough University.
DesignArt (Tate Publishing, 2005), his first book, triggered a debate about limited edition design, principally in the art and design market. As a follow-up, Coles edited the anthology Design and Art (Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press/Whitechapel, 2007), which argued for a deeper understanding of the interface between art and design. Coles" most recent book The Transdisciplinary Studio Volume
1 (Sternberg Press, 2012), is a study of studio models of artists (Olafur Eliasson and Jorge Pardo), product designers (Konstantin Grcic), and graphic designers (Abake).
To write the book, Coles spent a sustained period of time in each studio conducting ethnographic-styled embedded research. He is currently researching Volume
2, due for release in 2013. In the autumn of 2012 Coles will launch a new series of edited books through Sternberg Press titled European Parliament.
Recent conferences organized include: "What is DesignArt?" (Tate Britain, 2005), "The Greater ‘60s" (Courtauld Institute, 2006), "Dialogues in DesignArt" (Whitechapel Gallery, London, 2007) and a forthcoming debate on "The Transdisciplinary Studio" (International Cooperation Administration, London).
In November 2011 Coles was appointed Professor of Transdisciplinary Studies, School of Art, Design and Architecture, University of Huddersfield.
Previously, Coles had been a lecturer at Goldsmiths College in the Department of Art History, senior lecturer in Fine Art at University College for the Creative Arts (now the University for the Creative Arts), and chair of Fine Arts, Otis College of Art and Design, Los Los Angeles During the academic year 2010/2011, he lectured on the Critical Forum at the Royal College of Art, the Master of Arts in Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art and Design, and the Master of Arts in Experience Design at Konstfack, Stockholm.