System thinking

During my master's in Interactive Media Arts at NYU, my "Concepts, Culture & Communication" class introduced me to systems thinking. Guided by Donella Meadows’ definition in Thinking in Systems - which requires elements (the parts), interconnections (the relationships between those parts), and a function or purpose (the overarching goal). Our cohort explored how this framework applies to everything from technology to art. Is a clock a system?  While seemingly simple, its gears and power source must work in tandem to keep time, making it a clear mechanical system. Is a static object a system? This forced us to look beyond movement; a stationary sculpture, for instance, becomes part of a dynamic system when it interacts with gallery lighting, space, and a viewer's perception. I'm amazed that almost anything can be viewed as a complex system.

This philosophy indeed reshapes my creative and technical thought process - making me stop viewing things as isolated artifacts. When I see a static object, I will start thinking:

• What is its context?

• How does it alter the space around it?

• How does human behavior or environmental data loop back into it?

I also notice a project usually fails or succeeds not because of the components themselves, but because of how they talk to one another. I become obsessed with the interfaces, the protocols, the latency, and the feedback loops. I start asking: "If I tweak Component A, what unexpected ripple effect does it have on Component C?"

In fact, the clock example perfectly illustrates a shift in how I define a "goal." A clock's superficial utility is to show time, but its systemic function is to synchronize human behavior. When I approach a creative technology project now, I will start looking past the surface utility. If I am building an interactive installation, I won't just think about the inputs and outputs (e.g., breath goes into an Arduino sensor, sound comes out) but the purpose: What emotional or psychological state is this feedback loop generating in the user?

Because ultimately, we are designing the experience, not just the machine.