Abstract

A research aimed at clarifying and communicating the nature of complex system design as it relates to emerging technologies. For example, the project studied the way in which technologists working in Synthetic Biology and Swarm Robotics conceptualise and address the complexity of the systems they are designing. In addition to traditional academic publishing, the researchers worked to communicate the project findings beyond academic audiences. In particular, the following four activities were undertaken: (1) worked with a science communication agency to develop illustrations and layouts for a 35-page ‘primer’ on the subject of complexity; (2) worked with an animator and film production company to make a three-minute animated film discussing the subjectivity of complexity; (3) ran a workshop with policymakers discussing the different perspectives on system complexity across fields; (4) developed an interactive website that generates annotated bibliographies for complexity resources tailored to an individual user’s interests. In the talk I’ll explain what went on behind-the-scenes for each of these activities, reflect on what we would do differently in future and invite discussion about how those in the audience might seek broader audiences for their own work.