SLS at 2025 MIT Systems Awareness Lab Conference
“Towards a Science of Systems Change”
In January 2025, encouraged by Peter Senge, co-founder of the Systems Awareness Lab, MUELLER-DIVJAK attended its conference at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) – a meeting of researchers, educators and practitioners who are exploring how real, lasting systems change can take place.
The conference centered around a key insight we share: systems change cannot be achieved through structures and strategies alone. It must also address the deeper layers – our mental models, perceptions, and patterns of thought and behavior. This aligns strongly with the principles we embrace within SENSING LIVING SYSTEMS, which explores how sensory experience can foster deeper understanding of the systems we are (part of).
Throughout the conference, we resonated with different approaches how to measure systems change and what needs to be addressed to create safe spaces for learning. In breakout sessions and informal dialogues, we exchanged with systems scientists, educators, and community leaders from across the globe.
As part of our participation, we shared an early sensory pre-study for the installation CONCEPTION OF SŸS: attendees were invited to smell prototype scents of the imagined being SŸS and offer first impressions. Their feedback helped inform the final development of the scent-based installation – later shown in Vienna, Bangkok, Porto and beyond.
The insights gained helped sharpen our methodological approach and influenced the transdisciplinary dialogue at the core of our project.
The stay and research in Boston, and subsequently in New York City, were made possible with the kind support of the ACF Austrian Cultural Forum New York.
January 2025 – Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Boston, USA
