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Fuad-Luke, Alastair. Design activism: beautiful strangeness for a sustainable world. London, UK: Earthscan, 2009. 192p ISBN 978-1-84407-645-1 paper $48.95
This well-produced, glossyformat paperback book, published in the UK by the well-respected Earthscan consortium, ranges through subject matter that is as varied as it is difficult to pin down. The author, Alastair FuadLuke, is a sustainable design consultant, educator, and writer. His previous works include The Eco-Design Handbook and The Eco-Travel Handbook.
He begins by acknowledging the vastness of the subject. There are many definitions of the word "design" and hundreds of applications of the word in modern parlance. And, of course, the word "activism" connotes different things to different beholding eyes. It seems that, especially since the 1960s, we in North America have lived in a designed, perhaps over-designed, culture. Design can be the tool of politicians and preachers, as we "brand" our viewpoints and fall victim to the "designs" of predatory advertisers and concept spinners.
The UK is...