A aparut nr. 83 al revistei "Icon eye"

At the heart of the jam-packed May issue of icon - out now - is a cable-car in Caracas. Urban Think Tank's dramatic new transport link climbs a mountainside to connect a neglected slum with the centre of the Venezuelan capital - it's a bold example of architecture making a huge social contribution, and the pictures are a treat as well.

Similarly bold is the Rolex Learning Centre in Lausanne by newly crowned Pritzker laureates SANAA. This centrepiece for a sprawling campus is more landscape than building. On the design side, we spend time with down-to-earth French designer Inga Sempé and take a look at the rise of objects that play with our emotions. On top of that, there's a lively conversation between architect Alejandro Aravena, filmmaker Gary Hustwit, designer Christien Meindertsma and journalist Bruce Nussbaum.

Up front, there's an incredible bridge in Portugal, a peek inside Shigeru Ban's Pompidou Centre in Metz, a preview of the Milan furniture fair, and some surprisingly affordable design: Aravena's €20 chair and Yves Béhar's $5 glasses.

In review, there's our verdict on the monumental collected works of Herbert Muschamp, dreams of the communist space race at Nottingham Contemporary, architects running amok in the Guggenheim, Herzog & de Meuron's night at the opera with Prada and the art world's homage to JG Ballard.