Attention Please! is an experiment taking place at the Box, an exhibtion space in FACT, Liverpool, UK.

Audience members get an Attention Card as they enter the space. The card contains an RFID tag with a unique ID. The space houses three video screens playing lively video sequences that play with the notion of audience and performer: endless exercise, continual clapping, etc. The audience (participants, and perhaps also guinea pigs) are asked to actively “Pay Attention” by swiping their Attention Card. The more attention they wish to give to a particular video installation, the more they swipe their card.

Embedded code contained in the cards will affect the video as the attention is “registered.” The text outputs from RFID readers are linked with Isadora, a video manipulation software that makes the video respond to attention.

The Attention Please installations react to the amount, and frequency of attention paid. If one video is getting a lot of attention, the other videos will react in a rather attention seeking way. The RFID attention cards may be implanted with random events, and the experiment will test how the audience responds to direct as well as random effects in the installation.

The aim of the experiment is to explore the use of RFID in measuring audience attention and presence. The project members are looking for individuals and groups to participate in the experiment.

The Box, FACT, 88 Wood Street, Liverpool, L1 4DQ. 03 and 04 May 2pm – 6pm.

Images courtesy of Katie Lips.