What do we consider a system? How do systems’ boundaries shift, and when do they merge into something larger?
Through conversations and discussions with systems scientists, we identified three essential influencing factors of systems:
1. The boundaries of a system, or the drawing of boundaries (set or assumed boundaries),
2. the entities / elements of a system (components / actors, which can include microorganisms, insects, institutions, plants, machines, people, etc.), and
3. relations / interactions.
The boundaries we perceive, how we set and define them, depend on individual and collective worldviews, necessities, and possibilities.
With this scenographic study, we put the following questions on the floor: Is the pile of earth, containing components of natural and human-made objects a system? Part of a system? Where do observers place the boundaries? And: Do they see themselves as a system?
So in the first part of the Series of Scenographic Studies, a mound of soil framed by adhesive tape, yet spilling beyond these boundaries, formed the heart of the installation. Mixed into the earth, which came from various regions, were natural objects – such as stones, seeds, shells, pine cones and twigs – as well as man-made materials such as parts of electronic devices, plastic nets, bottle caps and small toys. These natural and discarded artifacts, collected during travels in Southeast Asia and Europe, speak to the entanglement of nature and culture, growth and decay.
As the installation changed over time – from October to December 2023 – seeds sprouted or faded, visibly bringing the mound of soil alive. Visitors were encouraged to touch the soil, cross and blur the set boundaries of the accumulated soil, add or remove items, or water the growing plants. These tactile engagements turned them into active participants and a QR code linked to a short reflective questionnaire, encouraging deeper thoughts on boundaries and ecological interconnection. Many participants reported seeing their role in ecological systems more clearly – and questioning boundaries between the human and more-than-human world.
October – December 2023, AIL Art Cabin, Angewandte Interdisciplinary Lab, University of Applied Arts Vienna
Series of Scenographic Studies
The Series of Scenographic Studies is a key format within SENSING LIVING SYSTEMS. It merges artistic research activities and systems science knowledge in participatory, multisensory installations. Each study explores how systems principles become tangible through scent, sound, touch, and space.
The installations, shown at the AIL Art Cabin (University of Applied Arts Vienna, Georg-Coch-Platz 2, 1010 Vienna), offer insights into the project’s research practices and questions, and simultaneously generate new ones: visitors are not only observers but active contributors. Through their interaction, they help shape both the experience and the research process. The installations change about every 3 to 4 months. Designed as experimental environments, the scenographic studies transform key system principles and project’s findings into multisensory experience.
