Systemic Design Association Norway, Rethinking Economics Norge and Attac Norge invite you to a co-hosted event that we hope brings systemic designers and alternative economics people together.

Systemic designers and alternative economics people care about many of the same things, but almost never sit in the same room poking at the same problems, so this event puts them side by side around big visual maps of «the economy» and asks what else could be possible beyond the default 9 to 5.

We will put money, work and resource flows on the table, then use conversation, sketches and sticky notes to stretch what feels plausible and desirable. Designers bring mapping, storytelling and visualisation, alternative economists bring depth on how systems actually function, and together we test what happens when those skills meet in a dialogical, hands on format.

No prep, no lectures, just turn up with your questions and experience, help make complex ideas visible, and leave with a few concrete ideas for what we could do next.

Light refreshments and snacks will be provided.

We will shortly announce details regarding sign up for the event, for now just use the event page to confirm attendance.

Further details behind the event and how it will run are below.

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BACKGROUND
We hypothesise that many Systemic designers and alternative economics people care about many of the same things, but they are rarely in the same room, working on the same problems, and often are speaking different ‘languages.’ Somewhere in that separation, important perspectives on how economies actually work, and how they could work, tend to slip through the cracks.

The concrete details of how the economy and finance work are not typically on the radar of designers, even systemic designers, which can limit how far they stretch what futures are seen as possible and plausible. Meanwhile the 9 to 5 wage job is so normalised that it is hard to even see it as a design choice.

Alternative economists bring many important ideas that can expand what designers consider plausible and possible, but they too could benefit from what systemic designers bring to the room. Many of the ideas that matter for stretching our imagination of what is possible and feasible can too often stay at a high level or are bound up in text, rather than brought to life in contextualised visualisations that cut through the noise. But it is not just about visualisation, we suspect that dialogical formats, especially when combined with relevant visualisations can help translate difficult concepts into something that engages and activates the people who need to be part of the conversation, and this is something designers can be well equipped for.

We want to demonstrate what these communities could do together by combining their knowledge and skills. This event is a small test of that. What can we learn about and from each other, and what could we do together next?

WHAT WILL WE EXPLORE?
We will sit down around around large visual maps or canvases and try to expand perspectives around the economy using conversation and visualisation between designers, creatives and people working with the economy.

These visual canvases will contain initial illustrations, questions, facts, and figures to move through several topics (see above).
There will be multiple rounds so that we get people moving between the topics and enriching the different maps

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE ROOM?
After a short framing of the event and topic tables, participants will spread out to the tables.

People will talk, add sticky notes, circle things, draw simple diagrams and bring in examples from their own work or experiences. Table hosts will help facilitate the conversation and visualisation if things get slow, just talking or too text heavy.

In the final round, we will scan the maps and mark out points that feel worth taking further, as ideas for how to keep advancing the goal of reimagining the economy together. These points will then be briefly shared in plenary by a representative at each table.

JUST TURN UP
You do not need to prepare anything in advance or be an expert, just turn up, bring your perspective, questions, and use whatever skills you have in thinking, noticing, capturing and communicating, to help keep the ideas and visualisations flowing.

You are welcome to bring in examples, stories, references or critiques from your own work to enrich these visual canvases