Letters
Art and industry
Sir: 1 am really very sorry that Stephen Bayley interprets criticism as viciousness (Letters, 6 March). He also misinterprets me. In my article (27 February), I did not dismiss industrial design as such, but men- tioned examples I admire; I also said I was happy to accept commercial motives. It is just that the idea of modernity worshipped in the white-tiled shrine of the Boiler House is not the only one. Fuddy-duddy 1 may be, but I am afraid neither Mr Bayley nor I ought to claim a monopoly of understan- ding of this century of ours.
But he does not answer any of my main charges: that the Boiler House trivialises design into fashion by divorcing appearance from function; that 'good design' is a chimera and that what is newest is not necessarily best; that to mount an inaugural exhibition in which nothing British is shown is a disgrace. After all, Prince Albert and Henry Cole founded the V and A in the first place to improve British design — and not to aid our competitors, like Messrs Sony.
Spectator readers must judge for themselves if I was wrong to poke fun at what I found to be slightly ridiculous, but I must apologise for my ignorance about that Italian lamp. My patent lack of familiarity with the products sold in Habitat stores is undoubtedly my loss.
Gavin Stamp
2 St Alphege House, Pocock Street, London SE1
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