Theo Deutinger (*1971) ist Architekt, Schriftsteller, Kurator und Designer soziokultureller Studien. Er ist Gründer und Leiter von The Department (TD), einem Büro, das Architektur mit Forschung, Visualisierung und künstlerischen Denken verbindet. The Department arbeitet in allen Maßstabsebenen von globaler Planung, räumlichen Masterplänen, Architektur bis hin zu grafischer und kuratorischer Arbeit. Deutinger ist bekannt für seine raumtheoretischen Schriften über die Transformation der europäischen Stadtkultur und seine Publikationen wie Handbook of Tyranny. Seine Arbeiten wurden unter anderem bei der Design Biennale Kwangju (Korea, 2011), der 14. Architekturbiennale in Venedig (Italien 2014) und im Storefront for Architecture in New York (USA, 2019) gezeigt. Theo Deutinger lebt und arbeitet in Österreich.

A continuation of Otto Neurath's 1939 book Modern Man in the Making, Joy and Fear questions how modernity, through its promises and failures, continues to reshape mankind. The promises have been fulfilled, especially for people in the West, where hygiene, modern medicine and education have led to steep increases in health, life expectancy and literacy rates. For large parts of the world's population, however, these promises have not been fulfilled. The current average life expectancy in Chad, for example, is equal to that of the United States in the 1920s, and at 52 is eight years below the retirement age there. The entire globe is unquestioningly and irreversibly involved in the modern project, but its benefits are very unevenly distributed.By depicting these asymmetries, Joy and Fear brings clarity to today's modern world. The pictograms and illustrations and their accompanying texts touch on global issues ranging from agriculture to warfare to the welfare state. The visual language makes complex issues immediately accessible. Holding the various themes together is a coherent narrative.