In a Nut Shell – Our Standing Explanation of the Creative Systemic Research Platform Concept
Approaches espoused as multi-, trans-, inter-, intra-, poly- disciplinary have been declared for many years. Yet, ways in which boundaries are bridged across the variety of contexts are still vigorously debated. For creative systemic research, the development of a “platform” has been a critical methodological foundation towards supporting the breadth of contexts at play. Now more than ever, complexity across worlds of cultures and ways of knowing call for the capacity for developing and delivering a plurality of learning systems, as a “not so obvious” necessary skill set. The learning system is central to our in-depth understanding of the ways we are, and how we coexist and relate within our various, immediate conditions. This also extends to include the relationships that link us between the urban, peri-urban and rural locales.
Creative systemic research is both situated and longitudinal. The situated predisposition grounds practices in the present interplay between the immediate setting and the larger whole. The longitudinal predisposition embraces the historical provenance that has led to the present, and the long now ahead, both conscious and non-conscious.
The situated and the longitudinal encourages “thinking for oneself” relationally with “thinking with others” This is an art of self resilience within a larger systemic context.
To-date, learning experiences have reflected 20th century industrial structures, as predominantly top down impositions. Identification and practice of generative thinking critically revisits the process of learning itself, elevating the emergent gained from hands-on experiences. Reflection of rhythmic processes (as exhibited with rapid prototyping) are fundamental to building understanding (the thinking) and capability (the practice) to transform long standing approaches where we now find ourselves struggling.
Learning systems provide thinking and practical support multidisciplinary communication, understanding the societal commitment to sustainability. Complex systems fuel emergent topics that link across areas of study. Dynamic teams are build from the bottom up, providing possibilities to study and learn. Working within and beyond physical, virtual and emergent of hybrid environment enables a richness of shared experiences. Structuring learning as horizontal in nature and longitudinal in experiences increases crossovers of threads into a mesh. Participants in groups and teams gain mutual appreciations towards creating new systemic solutions at personal, urban, rural, economic and national levels. The meshes of horizontal learning can support complex decisions that extend personal networks into adaptable ecosystems
More about CSRP Institute focus activities
CSRP Institute is on a journey, as a supportive platform, to develop and become a well-established node, exploring systemic approaches through systemic, creative, visual learning experiences, informed by ecological applications, and based on sound theoretical work.
A fundamental aspect of CSRP Institute is the idea of individual effort collectively contributing to the working community as an energetic effort towards self-organisation.
A lot still needs to be achieved, but we will not be doing this alone. The CSRP Institute recently came into being, from CSRP research, based on solid relationships, built up over many years with other similar nodes, engaged in practice and research, in many different global and regional locations.
The core of the group is and remains communal and bottom-up by nature, and will continue to engage with smallholdings and local stakeholders to gain traction and maintain informed research, policy and practice.
CSRP Institute is an autonomous applied research entity, that also aims to test circular properties of local resources, the nature of transformation (from energy to energy), mapping and investigating food production, distribution, as well as actively seeking integration of different outcomes from among the diverse sets of emerging economies. Our work also informs a range of activities that includes the creative expression through visualisation and performance of the social complexity of communal well-being and the health of its tacit structures. The creative element is important as this helps to express what might otherwise be excluded or overlooked in mainstream discussions.
Whilst CSRP Institute is officially based in the Swiss Italian Canton, there also small bottom-up locations, our main practice base at the farm, in the area of Terre d’Ebre, Spain. The location choices were deliberate, providing a range across smaller communities and terrains, including peri-urban and regional locations. We now have the opportunity to carry out activities in various locations to explore current agriculture, and practice in relation to historic land use and cultural wisdom, through various types of data and sources of provenance. In a sense, developing networks that are empowering traditional outputs and productions, whilst incorporating creative outlooks for expressing and communicating our collective work.
We will be involved with the traditional forms of academic work including publishing and project building and thesis work, but we will be focused on building a localised, scholarly community that aims to build long term support that appreciates bottom-up, longitudinal approaches and continuity.
Members
Co-President
Co-President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
