There’s a place for religious debate, but not in Design Week

It’s not often I read a piece in Design Week and come away feeling both bewildered and disappointed.

Yet with Hugh Pearman’s ‘witty’ piece ‘Genesis of an idea’ (Private View, DW 14 August), I did exactly that.

I’d appreciate a genuine exploration of the links between ‘religion’ and ‘design’ (though admittedly I wouldn’t expect to see it in the Private View section of Design Week). Instead, Pearman merely attempts to disguise personal quarrels with religion under an ultra-thin veil he labels ‘a design course’.

My own personal faith is irrelevant here, and I admit I can’t understand the thinking behind many of the religious or spiritual movements – or, for that matter, the anti-religionists – quoted by Pearman. Objectively speaking, I’m afraid Pearman’s attitude is nothing but condescending and disrespectful.

Of course, there will always be debates raging around religion and faith; I’m just not convinced Design Week is the most appropriate place to start a new one.

Neil Tinson, Founder, Neil Tinson Studio, by e-mail