Vicarious

Horizon has evolved considerable expertise in researching, developing and producing new forms of entertainment based on distributed biosensors, including capturing biomedical and behavioural data from the riders of thrill rides, transmitting it to spectators and ultimately using this data to directly control a new ride experience.

The Vicarious project aims to explore the potential of bio sensing to enable new television formats. This includes considering broad questions such as how live biomedical data might suggest new television format genres across the spectrum, from journalism and documentary to entertainment and reality TV. What are the challenges involved in monitoring, interpreting and presenting biomedical data as part of a television show, and how can biomedical data be meaningfully related to emotional experience, and subsequently communicated to an audience?

As part of this project Dr Brendan Dare and the ‘Thrill Laboratory‘ conducted an experiment during the Mayhem Horror Festival from the remote basement of a reputed Broad Street haunting in Nottingham on halloween night in October 2011.  The experiment included real scientists, amateur paranormal investigators, and a live exploration of a haunted building. Using cutting-edge medical technology developed by University researchers, the experiment allowed Dr Dare to monitor the effect of paranormal beliefs on the bodies and minds of those susceptible. The Experiment was captured by a film crew and transmitted in real-time to a live cinema audience.

Watch what happened during the experiment