#NewMacy Studios at RSD11: ACT I: Re-defining Stability + ACT III: Re-establishing Stability

Description

#NewMacy emerged in March 2020 as the pandemic of COVID became the newest global wicked challenge. Since then little has changed in the fights against pandemics of biology and technology, racism and structural inequities, environment and economics. We embrace the timespan of RSD11 as “the long now” in recognition that these systemic challenges require new scales of effort and expectation across generations. We invoke the original Macy Meetings, which arose from a recognition that understanding purposive systems would be essential for addressing the failures of WWII. In the 21st-century, #NewMacy catalyzes conversations for action across disciplines, geographies, and generations through systemic principles, processes, and communities. #NewMacy creates conditions for enacting productive responses among individuals and communities that bring about change in the near-term, while planning for and committing to the time-span required to effect lasting change.

Our current focus is a new framing for “ontogenesis,” specifically, that of developing new ways of becoming. To survive in a changing world, we must embrace resilience in lieu of security interpreted as constancy. Hence we substitute ontogenetic resilience as our framing intention — and Cybernetics as key. 

How might we practice ontogenetic resilience? We begin by embracing the human as the basic unit of change. Conversation is the unifying process. We adopt a structure of themed and design-led “Studios” that are explorations of ontogenetic principles. These Studios identify cultural sites where ontogenetic resilience is needed and where we may pursue inclusive and recursive modes of experimentation. The purpose of the #NewMacy Studio construct is to enable deep participation through activities such as prototyping, play, exploration, enactment, and improvisation. The following Studios at RSD11 will enact conversations for action across the middle days of the symposium:

Radiant Circles — Cybernetic Musings on Resonant Forms 

Pandemic of “Today’s AI”

Art as Steersmanship

“Panarchy” as a Sense Making Tool

Cultural Premises, Conscious Purpose, and Design

Prototyping Conversation

Period	13 Oct 2022 → 15 Oct 2022
Event type	Workshop
Location	Brighton, United KingdomShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International