© Samson Young

15th Art Division Jury Selections

I am thinking in a room, different from the one you are hearing in now

Interactive art

Samson YOUNG

Outline

The performers sit motionless as brainwave sensors monitor their focus level. Once the focus level exceeds a certain threshold, a device is actuated to play a set of percussion instruments on stage. The focus level is notated on a musical score, which the performers will attempt to execute. While the ability to focus depends on a number of external factors, distraction can be reliably “performed” by rapidly rolling the eyes or otherwise inducing neural stimuli. This constant struggle between focus and failure-to-focus, absence and presence is amplified through sound and put on display.