One Man Trance Multitasking Performances

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Active-alert hypnosis and one-man band rigs involve multitasking, the ability to perform more than one task simultaneously. Multitasking can be confused with performing one task while distracted doing another. Looking at the effort involved in consuming other types of entertainment can shed light on forces that lead to mass distraction. The advent of smartphones is an example. People are always looking at them, even while they are driving or at the movie theater. 3D televisions have had difficulty catching on because the 3D glasses that viewers must wear affect the ability to see other screens clearly.* People would rather be on their phones and laptops while watching TV than give all their attention to a 3D film. I transfer this desire to multitask while watching TV to the process of reading and listening. In my work, each multitasking effort is equal in value, requiring the same amount of attention, and yielding greater results than conventional multitasking, which involves both attention and distraction. Sometimes in my work, a small physical gesture can cause words, written or spoken, to appear one at a time on a screen, projected on a wall, in a smart mirror, or played through a speaker. 

*Jenny Preece et al., Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction (New Jersey: Wiley, 2015), 40-41.