We have always known that Germans love cars. We can only conjecture what kind of fantasies surround the cult object. The exhibition “Fetisch Auto. Ich fahre, also bin ich” (Car fetish – I drive, therefore I am) in Basle provides an insight into the visual images surrounding what is actually a pretty functional object.

Greetings from Legoland: The NRW-Forum in Düsseldorf is showcasing an exhibition about containers, which reveals just how much enthusiasm there currently is in the architecture scene for transportation vessels such as these, but also how thoroughly the beautiful new world of standardized architecture ignores individuality and local circumstances.

Mike Nelson has assembled a labyrinth in the British pavilion. It could be the product of our fantasy or equally exist in Istanbul – and it certainly undermines our notions of time, place and action.

Over the past few years several crossover projects between fashion and furniture have attracted much attention. Together, G-Star Raw and Vitra are sounding out the furniture cosmos of Jean Prouvé. The "Prouvé Raw" collection is a successful homage to the French designer.

At previous biennials, you could have safely passed up visiting the Egyptian pavilion, as all they staged were pro-regime shows that did not seem to fit in an artistic context. However, following the unrest in the Middle East, a revolution is also taking place in the Arab art world – as Ahmed Basiony's videos demonstrate.

At the age of 32 Richard Buckminster Fuller faced disaster: He was bankrupt and his infant daughter had just died. Instead of giving up, he resolved henceforth only to do things that were destined to help mankind as a whole. The fruits of his intentions are now on show at Marta Herford.

At Design Miami Basel above all countless classics were on show. But anyone who managed to make their way past all the Jean Prouvés, Bauhaus, Mid Century Modern and Art Deco found contemporary design by the likes of Pierre Charpin and Max Lamb waiting to be discovered.

In the Belgian pavilion Angel Vergara takes on electronic media and the newstreams they produce. As a painter, employing a range of painting styles, he seeks to defend himself against the flood of moving images.

Already ahead of the show, the decision by Biennial Director Bice Curiger to incorporate a 16th-century Venetian artist into her exhibition concept sparked controversy. And now the time has come: Contemporary art is no longer alone in the Padiglione Centrale. Is this bridging of several centuries a clever move by the curator?

Seldom was there are clearer art divide at the Venice Biennial than that this year between the advocates and the opponents of Christoph Schlingensief’s German pavilion, on which the chiseled “Germania” has been painted over with the words “Egomania”, alluding to a Schlingensief film of 1986.

“Crystal of Resistance” is the title artist Thomas Hirschhorn has given to his work for the Swiss pavilion at the Biennial. But what exactly is the deal with this crystal and resistance?

Outside the US pavilion the tank tracks rattle. No worries. Venice hasn’t been occupied by the US Army. Rather, outside and inside the pavilion artist duo Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla explore the interrelationship of body, politics and power.

Since the beginning of this year, Marianne Goebl, has been the new Director of Design Miami/Basel. Soon the design trade fair will open its doors in conjunction with Art Basel – at which point at the latest it will become apparent what new marks the marketing specialist has successfully made on the fair – after all, she’s someone who loves to move between the various design disciplines.

Markus Schinwald imagines being the forger of images that never existed. The portraits in prim living-room size on display in the Austrian Pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennial all come from the 19th century. And he simply added what they lacked in order to offer a contemporary image of man, that prosthetic God. Using retouched strings, fabric, rings and chains, the bodies are readied for the salon.

Outside his home country few know of Kim Swoo Geun, yet in South Korea he is considered one of the founders of architectural Modernism. A show in Berlin's Galerie Aedes curated by South Koreans offers everyone a chance to study the designs for the structures such as the Kyung Dong Church more closely.

"Copy/Culture" formed one of the focal points at this year's DMY Berlin. Luckily, there was more to see than just replica, namely a great deal of products, prototypes and designs too.

Clattering tank tracks, any number of pigeons and a church for a dead artist: the Venice art biennial is once again a spectacular show. But this time much is far too sensitive, dripping in pathos and, despite there being several good pieces, essentially too harmless. Which begs the question: where is the international art world heading?

The Giardini are bursting with people, outside the pavilions there are long queues, and in the Arsenal you have to push to move. Even days before the official opening of the Art Biennial not only critics and journalists, but also any number of collectors, gallerists, museum folk, artists, functionaries and art lovers with deep pockets. And it was no easy matter to find each other if you wanted to meet up. Two of our authors tried to connect using text messaging. The result was a document of constant endeavor.

In the 1950s, architect Benjamin Thompson brought European design to the United States. His "Design Research" company thereupon became legendary. Nora Sobich talked to Jane Thompson, the architect's widow, in Boston.

Crisis or no crisis, Greece's landscapes not only enchant the locals, but countless tourists, too. Yet there is more to the country than beautiful beaches and olive groves. Have you ever counted the Monobloc chairs on your vacation snaps?

The 54th Art Biennial will open on June 4 in Venice. Even today, with artistic horizons having expanded on a huge scale and the Biennial taking the form of spectacle and event, it is still an important source of inspiration – not primarily, but also for design. Which is why we will be reporting in the coming weeks on the Biennial's main exhibitions and country pavilions.

There's not a child who does not know him and like playing him: Darth Vader. Which is no doubt why the fallen Jedi knight who has switched to the dark side in the Star Wars trilogy is the protagonist in a VW commercial originally shot for the US. Now Lord Vader has a rival.

The Monobloc chair is considered the epitome of mass furniture. For long treated derogatorily, recently a series of designers have focused firmly on it. The publication on "220°C Virus Monobloc" sheds light on all facets of this realignment.

"Axor Bouroullec" is a variable system of washbasins, storage units and fixtures. Thomas Wagner talked to Philippe Grohe, grandson of company founder Hans Grohe and manager of the "Axor" brand, about bathroom landscapes, the integration of the user and the future of the bathroom.

Year after year in spring, nature develops new energy, and consequently we prefer sitting outdoors. Many furniture manufacturers do not want to miss out on this and are increasingly offering products that are at once homely and weatherproof. Is it now the case that we like outdoor products indoors?

Nature and computers appear to have little in common. If you believe that, you should take a look in the App Store. These days, a veritable cornucopia is available for hikers and bikers.

Society is aging. And suddenly an item crops up again, which we believed – thanks to medical progress had disappeared for ever into the museum, private collections or the trekking supplies store: the stick.

Spring is back and the bicycle season starts. Should you want to buy a new vehicle, why not a custom-built one? Then a glance in the book "Bespoke: The Handbuilt Bicycle" is certainly worthwhile.

On the occasion of the "Festival of Ideas for the New City", architectural specialist met up in New York City to discuss things, make art, and to party on the street? How will we move in the future? And will we all soon have compost facilities under our sinks?

Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani’s master plan foresees having the Novartis Campus building realized by various architects. The book series “Novartis Campus” documents the buildings in the large-scale Basle project that are now already standing.

Thanks to the last architecture biennial a new generation of Japanese architects became known in Europe. One of them was Sou Fujimoto, who previously drew attention with his “Tokyo Apartment” and the“Primitive Future House”. Ayako Kamozawa met Sou Fujimoto in Tokyo and talked to him about his concept of order.

The end of the traditional light bulb clobbered the luminaire industry, which is slowly recovering. At the Euroluce in Milan the clear trend was an effort to harmonize design and technology again.

An arrangement by Gerwald Rockenschaub of just under 400 motifs upon a 70-meter-long wall is currently on show at Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg. Is this a large, colorful picture, an advertising war or a semiological tsunami?

A folding chair, objects for everyday office use and eminently viable experiments with LEDs: At this year's Salone, Alberto Alessi offered glimpses into a treasure trove bursting with ideas and innovations.