Complexity Spectacles

The phenomenon complexity manifests in many appearances. Complex spectacles invites you to interactively meet many of them throughout a five-day immersive experience. You will be challenged to investigate the many meanings in relation to your own situations and interests. This approach asks for a profound commitment and engagement of you as a participant. Throughout this joint endeavour you will learn to look through complexity spectacles. These are glasses that aspire to broaden and enrich the way you envisage the complexity of human organising in relation to the world around and aim to help you navigate complex dilemmas in the future.

& You!

The second part of this five-day session starts from you as a person, it aims to give you a new perspective on your personal key questions. You will explore how you want to relate to the complexity of life: how to deal with wicked personal problems and how you want to be meaningful in a complex world.

Join the first Complexity Spectacles ever! 8-12 April 2019

Installation artwork Anthony McCall (LaM)

Program and approach

Part 1 – Monday and Tuesday – Spectacles
The general approach of the first two days is an organic interplay between experiences, theory and making meaning. Compilations of information, thoughts and activities constitute small modules, each addressing certain topics, phenomena and many interrelated concepts. Profound commitment is asked from the participants, however, the modular approach provides you to dynamically check in and out. The whole is a dynamic and associative interweaving of many theoretical concepts related to real life.
Wednesday – Passage to part 2
Between the two parts of the course, there will be a one-day experimental open space to harvest and share insights, experiences and ideas. There is also the possibility for new participants to join the group for the rest of the week.
Besides that you will explore, develop and refine your core personal questions. These questions will be taken to the second part.
Part 2 – Thursday and Friday – You!
What does it mean to act wise in a complex world? Throughout a journey, also outside of the domain, we will search for answers.

What

Main concepts that will be addressed

Complex, complicated and simple
Emergence and self-organisation
The edge of chaos
Attractors and phase transitions
Adaptivity, resilience and evolution
Networks

How

Working methods

Reality games
Collective improvisation (InterPlay)
All kinds of challenges and assignments
Cases and practical experience
Conversation and dialogue

Why

What makes it unique

The process taps into the generative and creative power of the participants
Care for the organically unfolding process
Your own unique experience
New perspectives on complex personal issues
Reflecting on yourself as a complex human system
Topics dynamically interweave
Academic reference material
Care for the quality of human interactions
Maximal use of diversity existent in the group
Emergent generativity
Dynamically shifting between a focus on yourself and a focus on your meaning in the world
“We walk the talk” with a meta-level consciousness on the process