"Marcus Fairs was undoubtedly one of the design world's pre-eminent power brokers"
Marcus Fairs, who passed away late last month, changed the way we consume design news, writes Justin McGuirk in this obituary for Dezeen's founder and former editor-in-chief.
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"Mad Max cornered the market in a particular vision of the post-apocalyptic future"
Opinion: the first three Mad Max films established a retro-futuristic aesthetic that has been turned up to 11 in the latest iteration, says Justin McGuirk. But could Fury Road have also stumbled on something a bit more more pertinent? More about "Mad Max cornered the market in a particular vision of the post-apocalyptic future"
"Anything threatening to be a subculture is commodified before it can walk"
Opinion: unbridled materialism, technology and design combine to challenge the meaning of personhood in William Gibson's latest sci-fi novel. The foundations for this future are already being laid in real life, says Justin McGuirk. More about "Anything threatening to be a subculture is commodified before it can walk"
"No one will ever write a book called Zen and the Art of iPhone Maintenance"
Opinion: is the Internet of Broken Things the logical conclusion to the ever-escalating cycle of technological development and built-in obsolesce in our gadgets, asks Justin McGuirk. More about "No one will ever write a book called Zen and the Art of iPhone Maintenance"
"Protest has been marginalised"
Opinion: the Turkish government's attempt to move protestors from Taksim Square to a new public space – nicknamed the "third testicle" – on a piece of reclaimed land at the edge of Istanbul was a failure from day one, says Justin McGuirk. More about "Protest has been marginalised"
"The perfect architectural symbol for an era obsessed with customisation and participation"
Opinion: a Le Corbusier design for a customisable house inspired by the devastation of Flanders during the First World War has haunted architecture ever since, says Justin McGuirk. More about "The perfect architectural symbol for an era obsessed with customisation and participation"
"We are not in the midst of a revolution, we are between revolutions"
Opinion: Justin McGuirk argues that despite the furniture industry's decline in Italy, it's still the best place to buy a sofa until the digital manufacturing revolution delivers on its promises. More about "We are not in the midst of a revolution, we are between revolutions"
"To stick it to The Man, first you have to let him trouser your money"
Opinion: now we buy everything from Amazon, where does that leave the counterculture? A new attempt to revive the spirit of the Whole Earth Catalog is "about as counter-cultural as a Happy Meal," argues Justin McGuirk. More about "To stick it to The Man, first you have to let him trouser your money"
"Design is complicit in economic and political systems that are inherently violent"
Opinion: as MoMA launches an online exhibition investigating design's relationship with violence, Dezeen columnist Justin McGuirk looks beyond objects like 3D-printed guns and drones to ask "what do our weapons say about the systems they support?" More about "Design is complicit in economic and political systems that are inherently violent"
"Design critics make an exception for certain technology products"
Opinion: following yesterday's column on how disruptive technology for emerging markets will affect the high-end tech giants, Justin McGuirk asks why contemporary design critics are obsessed with analysing technology. More about "Design critics make an exception for certain technology products"
"Apple and Samsung will have to change their game"
Opinion: Justin McGuirk's inaugural Opinion column for Dezeen is in two parts - in this first instalment he examines what cheap tablet computers developed for emerging markets like India will mean for high-end tech giants like Apple and Samsung. Tomorrow he'll ask why design critics are writing about technology in the first place. More about "Apple and Samsung will have to change their game"