Attention is All you Need
In "Living canvas," a modest silver tent is transformed into an art experimental research experiment/art installment by Kera Phillip. When you go inside the "Living Canvas," you are temporarily gifted an electric headset designed to measure your brain waves. You soon become a research subject whose attention is visually staged on a screen in front of you as both measurable and mysterious.
One participant, Johnny D. was told he exhibited an "unusually high degree of focus," a result he met with bemusement and wonder. Not a meditator, he describes himself as an avid cold brew drinker. His reaction being at once "special, frightened and confused."
Hiplomat, who initially had trouble implanting the headset due to what the Artist observed as "small ears," describes an enjoyable, if a bit perplexing, immersive experience. She notes that "by singing a high note" in her head, she was able to telepathically control a glowing light on the screen. After leaving the tent, Hiplomat reflected, "I felt unsure of where I ranked against the benchmark, but I was proud of myself for controlling the light by singing a high note in my head."
Low Road, a descendant of a Scottish coal miner experienced almost immediate fireworks, and was told that he "exceeded all the levels of consciousness at once." Low Road added that after the experience, he "felt witnessed a very deep level."
EB also experienced positive results, and reflected upon leaving the tent that the installment was "a fascinating intersection of visual art and the bleeding edge of neuroscience technology." -
Most participants reported seeing a star field, bright lights and star blasts. Though a handful of participants also described a series of shocks, at first imperceptible, rising to strong painful electrocutions. There was also some reported concern over whether or not the brain wave data was being sold to Big Neuroscience.
This reporter felt that the installation speaks to contemporary society's growing concerns over attention in the age of AI, and questions if we can learn to control it in a world governed by algorithm. This Art Installation also manages to capture the tension between data's growing promise of clarity and discovery with our secret inner lives, that despite advances in neuroscience have thus far remained hidden, enigmatic and unruly.
One participant, Johnny D. was told he exhibited an "unusually high degree of focus," a result he met with bemusement and wonder. Not a meditator, he describes himself as an avid cold brew drinker. His reaction being at once "special, frightened and confused."
Hiplomat, who initially had trouble implanting the headset due to what the Artist observed as "small ears," describes an enjoyable, if a bit perplexing, immersive experience. She notes that "by singing a high note" in her head, she was able to telepathically control a glowing light on the screen. After leaving the tent, Hiplomat reflected, "I felt unsure of where I ranked against the benchmark, but I was proud of myself for controlling the light by singing a high note in my head."
Low Road, a descendant of a Scottish coal miner experienced almost immediate fireworks, and was told that he "exceeded all the levels of consciousness at once." Low Road added that after the experience, he "felt witnessed a very deep level."
EB also experienced positive results, and reflected upon leaving the tent that the installment was "a fascinating intersection of visual art and the bleeding edge of neuroscience technology." -
Most participants reported seeing a star field, bright lights and star blasts. Though a handful of participants also described a series of shocks, at first imperceptible, rising to strong painful electrocutions. There was also some reported concern over whether or not the brain wave data was being sold to Big Neuroscience.
This reporter felt that the installation speaks to contemporary society's growing concerns over attention in the age of AI, and questions if we can learn to control it in a world governed by algorithm. This Art Installation also manages to capture the tension between data's growing promise of clarity and discovery with our secret inner lives, that despite advances in neuroscience have thus far remained hidden, enigmatic and unruly.
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