The Organium: A Library of Technical Elements for Improvisatory Design Thinking

Research labs are peculiar phenomena consisting of a defined research programme, technical infrastructure and social context - all crucial for generating, preserving, and disseminating new knowledge. A lab functions as an ecosystem in which we think and develop ideas, but this requires a productive technical and social platform. This paper presents the Organium, a system for improvisatory design thinking in the domain of musical instruments and the experimental humanities in general. The Organium is a dynamic library of technical elements, spatially arranged for rapid prototyping and systemic experimentation, serving as a central hub of our Intelligent Instruments Lab. Furthermore, the paper discusses the lab culture and research methodology for which the Organium was designed, framing the lab as an experimental ecosystem where technological assemblages act as boundary objects for transdisciplinary collaboration and discourse. We outline how the Organium supports our research methodology and present selected projects that demonstrate its functionality and impact.