Assemblage

Assemblage

What are the patterns of belief and understanding that act as constraints on behaviour, that act as attractor wells from which it may be difficult to escape?
An assemblage refers to a collection or arrangement of things, often diverse or disparate elements, brought together in a particular context or setting
It can involve physical objects, ideas, people, or various components combined in a specific way to create a whole or serve a particular purpose
Assemblages are dynamic, heterogeneous networks—they’re not fixed systems but evolving constellations of people, practices, technologies, norms, and institutions

In different fields and contexts, the term "assemblage" can have various meanings:

- Art: In art and aesthetics, an assemblage is a form of sculpture or artistic composition created by assembling found objects or materials into a new, often abstract, or symbolic arrangement

- Ecology: In ecology, an assemblage refers to a group of species that coexist in a particular habitat or ecosystem. It represents the combination of organisms found in a specific ecological community

- Philosophy: The term has been used in philosophical discussions, particularly in the works of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, to describe the coming together of different elements, concepts, or entities in a dynamic and interconnected manner

- Social Sciences: In anthropology and sociology, assemblage theory is used to analyze how social entities and structures are constructed from various elements and how they interact within a particular context

Assemblages are adaptive, non-linear, and often self-organizing, making them ideal for mapping in Cynefin or Estuarine Frameworks

Assemblage is an emergent and constantly emerging pattern of beliefs and attitudes which exert pressure on the system and create what is known as a strange attractor in complexity science or a trope in narrative theory
Assemblages are not just territories; they are the very fabric of the system
They are not something we can be trained out of or choose to voluntarily escape; they have a real impact on the current situation
There are examples in our citizen engagement project and the EU Field Guide