what’s with our contemporary design culture that makes us affect the same gestures again and again in different places, different cities, different languages? in which the official website, the graphically sharp brochures, the smooth media spiel, sound more look better than the real thing? in which the organisers’ long credentials, the participants’ stylish portraits, the perma-warm media reports seem more impressive than the actual experience?

we liked much the sound of it – a design show in a former prison – that we made a side trip, while in hong kong, to the victoria prison to see deTour 2010. it’s billed as bringing design and creativity to people: part show, part education, part design market, and an extraordinary heritage place.

the spaces were indeed interesting, were something to see, because how many times have you ever been in an actual prison? but the stuff on show seemed so incidental, played so little with what is there that they might as well have been presented in a shopping centre. the disparate experiences did not add up, did not increase, could not inspire.