The Bystander Problem / Tilskuerproblemet
Performance
Video documentation of an invisible theater performance by Hans Christian van Nijkerk at Februarseminaret (a seminar on research communication) at Tromsø University, February 7th 2012.
Between 09:00 AM and sometime after 14:00 PM, the performer displayed typically rude and undesirable behavior such as: drinking, snacking and burping loudly, clapping and cheering at inappropriate moments, flash photography, sleeping during lectures, asking unnecessary questions (no one else in the auditorium asked questions at all) and taking off his shoes and socks and putting his feet on the table.
This behavior was done just occasionally at first and gradually more and more frequent throughout the day, so as to appear believable.
The performer was hired for the seminar, but only the organizers and some of the lecturers were notified in advance that this was, in fact, a performance. Several audience members had complained to the organizers about the performer's behavior and wanted him thrown out. In which was a staged event, the performer was eventually escorted out of the auditorium (as shown at the end of the video).
Aside from hushing him after his 3rd question during a lecture, no one directly confronted the performer to stop him from acting like he did.
Tweets about the performer sent by participants during the seminar appear in blue text (in Norwegian) throughout the video.
Between 09:00 AM and sometime after 14:00 PM, the performer displayed typically rude and undesirable behavior such as: drinking, snacking and burping loudly, clapping and cheering at inappropriate moments, flash photography, sleeping during lectures, asking unnecessary questions (no one else in the auditorium asked questions at all) and taking off his shoes and socks and putting his feet on the table.
This behavior was done just occasionally at first and gradually more and more frequent throughout the day, so as to appear believable.
The performer was hired for the seminar, but only the organizers and some of the lecturers were notified in advance that this was, in fact, a performance. Several audience members had complained to the organizers about the performer's behavior and wanted him thrown out. In which was a staged event, the performer was eventually escorted out of the auditorium (as shown at the end of the video).
Aside from hushing him after his 3rd question during a lecture, no one directly confronted the performer to stop him from acting like he did.
Tweets about the performer sent by participants during the seminar appear in blue text (in Norwegian) throughout the video.