Day 5: Characterizing Systems
Let's gather some of the thoughts that have been percolating around systems. Let's assume that you are designing the introductory page of a zine on systems, so the frame you're working within is about the size on 5x3 index card. I'm suggesting a "zine," because they can be playful (or serious), have graphic elements (or not), etc., but the key is the small size as constraint. At this point, we're designing the page, jotting down ideas (and images) that will go on the page, and then drafting the page.
Some ideas for the page: a characterization of systems. A list of the key ideas in systems. Some images that illustrate your characterization. Some examples.
If that falls out quickly, pick a key concept like Boundaries, and do the same thing, drafting ideas for the design of a zine page on system boundaries. Think of analogies that suggest visuals and insights, like cell walls and containers. Why are boundaries important, and what role do they play (in systems or our conceptions of systems)? Etc.
Once again, reserve some time (in your 15-20 minutes) to step back and reflect on what you learned.
"Honor thy error as hidden intention" - Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt, Oblique Strategies
"A system is an interconnected set of elements that is coherently organized in a way that achieves something"— Donella Meadows
"We often fall into the trap of thinking of a boundary as something that separates one thing from another. We should rather think of a boundary as something that constitutes that which is bounded." - Paul Cilliers
Two pages of Dan Klyn's BASIC zine