Systems Ultra: Making Sense of Technology in a Complex World

Systems Ultra explores how we experience complex systems, such as cars running on code, massmarket graphics software, and global supply chains, and calls for a new literacy around them. Georgina Voss argues that complex systems can be approached as sites of revelation around scale, time, materiality, deviance, and breakages, and that they can be understood more clearly and changed.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 23 January 2024
Publisher: Verso Books

Systems Ultra delves into the intricate tapestry of complex systems, encompassing the interconnections of objects, individuals, and ideas that give rise to their unique patterns and behaviors. It raises thought-provoking questions such as what implications arise when a car driven by code operates dangerously? How can mass-market graphics software shed light on the workplace dynamics of architects? Moreover, in these human-crafted systems, which phenomena are intentionally designed, and which emerge organically? In the era of interconnected technologies, global supply chains, and supranational regulations, there is a growing demand for a new level of literacy regarding systems and their far-reaching consequences. At the same time, it is often asserted that these systems are inscrutable and entirely beyond our control.

Drawing upon extensive field research and artistic practice in diverse industrial environments, including ports, air traffic control, architectural software, payment platforms in the adult entertainment industry, and car crash testing, Georgina Voss compellingly argues that complex systems can be viewed as sites of revelation, shedding light on scale, time, materiality, deviance, and breakages. With a blend of humor and astute observation, she unravels the story of what systems have come to signify, how they have been marketed to us, and the tangible real-world impacts of the power that flows through them.

Systems Ultra transcends simplistic narratives of technological exceptionalism, venturing into the realm of understanding complex systems more profoundly and exploring potential avenues for change. By delving into these systems, we gain a deeper appreciation of their influence on our lives and the opportunities to navigate them more effectively. Through this exploration, we can strive to shape a world that is more responsive, equitable, and sustainable.

Weight: 314g
Dimension: 147 x 218 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781839760556