The Institute For Comedic Inquiry is an experimental comedy research institute founded by Laura Allcorn. We collaborate with researchers and make it amusing for audiences to explore how emerging technologies shape our lives.
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COMING SOON
Pledge Drive for Attention is a new commission premiering at Science Gallery Melbourne’s DISTRACTION exhibition on July 26th 2025.
What are your biggest digital distractions?
It’s time to steal your attention back from a distracting world. Imagine a future where our brains aren’t being mindlessly warped by attention stealing schemes. The tech masterminds may want us clicking, scrolling and swiping – but why not put your own interests above their profit interests today? Say bye bye to brain rot and collectively break free from digital distractions. Exponential attention growth is possible! Find a pledge buddy, take a seat at a pledge desk and make a pledge in the world’s first Pledge Drive for Attention.
Help us meet our goal to steal back one year of our attention! How many hours can you give to the Pledge-O-Meter?
Made in collaboration with Gloria Mark author of Attention Span and Science Gallery Melbourne’s Sci Curious group.
Pledge Drive for Attention is a new commission premiering at Science Gallery Melbourne’s DISTRACTION exhibition on July 26th 2025.
What are your biggest digital distractions?
It’s time to steal your attention back from a distracting world. Imagine a future where our brains aren’t being mindlessly warped by attention stealing schemes. The tech masterminds may want us clicking, scrolling and swiping – but why not put your own interests above their profit interests today? Say bye bye to brain rot and collectively break free from digital distractions. Exponential attention growth is possible! Find a pledge buddy, take a seat at a pledge desk and make a pledge in the world’s first Pledge Drive for Attention.
Help us meet our goal to steal back one year of our attention! How many hours can you give to the Pledge-O-Meter?
Made in collaboration with Gloria Mark author of Attention Span and Science Gallery Melbourne’s Sci Curious group.
THE FIRST AI QUIZ SHOW
We made a quiz show for the AI era about large language models called Who Wants To Write An Email?
The show premiered at the Dublin Fringe Festival in September 2023 and was nominated for the Technical Innovation Award!
This project was many years in the making, taking shape long before ChatGPT was a thing. We’re wrapping up our project evaluation to share how humorous and unexpected forms of public engagement can draw in new audiences.
This project was funded by a Science Foundation Ireland Discover Programme Grant and supported by Trinity College Dublin The Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute and ADAPT Research Centre.
︎︎︎ View the project
We made a quiz show for the AI era about large language models called Who Wants To Write An Email?
The show premiered at the Dublin Fringe Festival in September 2023 and was nominated for the Technical Innovation Award!
This project was many years in the making, taking shape long before ChatGPT was a thing. We’re wrapping up our project evaluation to share how humorous and unexpected forms of public engagement can draw in new audiences.
This project was funded by a Science Foundation Ireland Discover Programme Grant and supported by Trinity College Dublin The Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute and ADAPT Research Centre.
︎︎︎ View the project
EXPERIMENTS
Our projects invite you to rehearse for the future you want.
Take the hot seat in a satirical game show about AI-authored emails.
Get sweaty in an absurdist workout for thwarting surveillance technology.
Shop a mini-market that claims to know you better than you know yourself.
︎︎︎ View experiments
Our projects invite you to rehearse for the future you want.
Take the hot seat in a satirical game show about AI-authored emails.
Get sweaty in an absurdist workout for thwarting surveillance technology.
Shop a mini-market that claims to know you better than you know yourself.
︎︎︎ View experiments