For Whom The School Bell Tolls
May21

For Whom The School Bell Tolls

“Who should the school governor listen to if they get conflicting information? The Local Authority or the government?”
Answers came there none…

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Risk and the construction industry
May13

Risk and the construction industry

Understandably, Health and Safety has been a major concern for workers, unions and health and safety organisations for many years. However, in the age of coronavirus there is a growing perception that all jobs must be “safe”.

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Casinovirus
Apr29

Casinovirus

The joy of gambling – the bit that is missed by the puritans – is that it is a social activity. Gambling by yourself on a mobile phone has its appeal, but it is no replacement for having a bet with others.

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Down and Out in Manchester
Apr28

Down and Out in Manchester

“Homelessness is a problem all around the world. Through my lens and this mini-series of images, I wanted to expose a human situation that is both local and global; human and troubling”. – Zhu Runzi

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Working Practices: East v West
Apr16

Working Practices: East v West

The efficiency drive in China means that architects and construction workers have to work very hard to meet deadlines and it is very difficult to keep a work-life balance. In the west, this is often all architects talk about.

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The Fundamentals of Graphic Design
Apr05

The Fundamentals of Graphic Design

The ’socially responsible’ designer is a good example of an ideological imposition getting in the way of clarifying graphic design, and its mediating and transformative role in society.

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Black & White issues
Mar28

Black & White issues

Dameon Garnett’s ‘Sticks and Stones’, whose run at the Tristan Bates Theatre was curtailed by the COVID-19 crisis, is an attempt to articulate the importance of free speech and the dangers of identity politics in our time.

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Chernobyl Fallout
Mar26

Chernobyl Fallout

The virus thrives on the essential elements of social life, such as the need to socialise, the importance of proximity, or the desire to comfort. To defeat the virus, we are told that we have to become reclusive.

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Stay safe but remain sceptical
Mar24

Stay safe but remain sceptical

Regardless of the UK government’s twelfth-hour assurance that these new powers will be reviewed every six months, a potentially worrying precedent may have already been set.

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Identity Politics ain’t Liberal
Mar12

Identity Politics ain’t Liberal

“Common cause” is not going to work if we have to morally browbeat people into supporting the uncommon interests of oppressed minority-groups. The question is, what unites us?

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