Impact on Australian Society

PHOTO Hannah Gadsby regards phones as an unwelcome distraction during her shows.

Hannah Gadsby is not one to shy away from challenging her audience's beliefs, and now the comedian will also be challenging their phone use.

Key points:

• Hannah Gadsby's audiences will be asked to lock their phones in pouches

• The approach pioneered by a US company is proving popular

• It has been rolled out in hundreds of schools globally

Gadsby is one of a growing number of performers to turn to a new technology which provides a simple solution — locking the phones away.

"I have autism and the use of phones during a show is a very distressing distraction for me when I'm performing," Gadsby recently tweeted, before the launch of her new show Douglas.

However, the phones themselves are not confiscated.

Instead, they are set on silent or aeroplane mode and then secured in pouches which are electronically locked before the shows begin.

Audience members are able to hold onto them, and unlock them in designated areas if they need to.

"It allows the phone owner to keep their phone while not actually being able to access it," said Monash University media expert Brett Hutchins.

"It's really something designed to ensure people can't take footage or distract others."

PHOTO Yondr pouches are distributed before gigs.

The technology has been pioneered by US company Yondr and is also proving popular with musicians.

Guns N' Roses has also adopted it at gigs, as well as Alicia Keys — who helped bring it to prominence in 2016.

"Hannah's team did an incredible job of sending out messaging so most patrons know exactly what they're coming to," Yondr spokeswoman Alexis Munnelly said.

"There was very little pushback.

"We're looking to give people space away from their technology."

PHOTO Phone pouches are being promoted as potential classroom tools.

The company is also spruiking broader applications, including in schools where phones can interfere with learning.

"We partner with educators, entertainers, anyone that's looking to have a phone-freeexperience," Ms Munnelly said.

"We work with folks that want phone-free weddings, baby showers, birthday parties.

"We are in nearly 1,000 public schools in the United States and we're beginning to partner with schools in Australia, France, Italy and Ontario."

Wauchope High School in New South Wales is planning to trial lockable mobile phone bags from the start of next term.

"We'll be keeping a close eye on what effect it has, and we're hoping for a significant reduction in how distracted students are during the day, and for some more face-to-face social interaction during breaks," principal Glen Sawle said.

"We believe this could be a big benefit for students' schoolwork and social wellbeing."

'A joke is not the only tool'

After appearing at the Adelaide Fringe festival, Gadsby is about to embark on a sold-out run of shows at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

She explained the phone ban was not about exclusion.

"If you require the use of a device for medical/accessibility purposes, please speak with a Yondr manager on arrival, and they will be able to accommodate," she tweeted.

"We also encourage you to reach out to the venue in advance, so they can properly prepare.

"All should feel welcome."

Professor Hutchins said Yondr was not the only company to offer the technology.

"There are other versions of this around," he said.

"They've worked out different ways of using it at concerts, in comedy shows, in schools … [and] in the courts system as well."

Professor Hutchins said while a main aim was to stop copyright infringements, temporarily blocking access to phones could provide a refreshing break from an otherwise invasive technology.

"There's intellectual property issues in play but also that notion of intimacy and the social experience," he said.

"As phones become ever more ubiquitous as well as wearable media devices, it creates an appetite for phone-free experiences."

PHOTO Concertgoers filming the action can make it difficult for others to enjoy the gig.

The following is an excerpt from "Unpleasant Design,"a book by Gordan Savičić and Selena Savić that looks at the impact of designs intended to deliberately make people uncomfortable.

Living in The Netherlands for several years, we began collecting examples of unpleasant designs in public space.

We noticed this became a global trend and found many examples in other European cities.

What began to interest us then, was an overall strategic view of the development of unpleasant design; is there or can there be something like a school of thought for "unpleasantness?" How is public space affected by these designs?

We continued to expand our own collection of unpleasant designs, because it contains some unique examples and observations. Here, we're presenting photographs taken in Rotterdam, The Hague, Lausanne and Vienna — cities we frequented often while doing this research.

You can see more on our site here.

1. Metal obstacles on public seating

Materials: Metal, Bolts.

Impact: Skaters move elsewhere.

Target group: Skaters, BMX riders, Rollerskaters.

Effect: Renders any object which could be used for grinding tricks by skaters useless while keeping its initial function as public seating.

2. A handrail with a sandpaper-like texture

Materials: Custom-made sandpaper lacquer.

Impact: Discourages climbing or holding the handrail.

Target group: General public, potential suicide victims.

Effect: This technique was found on a handrail at a high-altitude bridge. It's absolutely unpleasant to touch.

3. Anti-climbing paint

Materials: Non-drying oil paint.

Impact: Preventing any intruder from gaining a foothold.

Target group: Climbers, graffiti artists, burglars.

Effect: This paint is based on a non-drying oil and keeps the surface greasy and slippery. An additional feature is that it leaves its marks on the person touching it.

4. Cold, hard benches.

Materials: Stainless steel, aluminum anodized.

Impact: People don't rest for long periods.

Target group: General public.

Effect: The stainless steel provides desired coldness. No leaning and an unusual height where you can't reach the ground makes it uncomfortable to sit on for long period of time.

5. Rotterdam's leaning "benches"

Materials: Wood, painted steel.

Impact: Prevents relaxed sitting.

Target group: General public.

Effect: This new type of urban furniture (the "leanable" or "standing-support" Rotterdam style) makes it impossible to sleep or have a rest for more than a couple of minutes. It is sold as an ideal resting point for pensioners and elderly people.

6: Benches with armrests

Materials: Stainless steel.

Impact: Armrests or sharp edges on benches prevent sleeping and skaters.

Target group: General public

Effect: The space between the handles is enough for only one person, so people sitting together on the bench are separated by their armrests. Thus, a body of an adult person could not fit laying down. Sometimes the sharp dividers don't even fit the purpose of an armrest, but serve primarily as a deterrent.

7: Slanted garbage bins

Materials: Concrete, rocks.

Impact: Deprecated design.

Target group: General public.

Effect: Stones and rocks (sometimes even pieces of broken glass) are poured in concrete to create a bumpy surface. Empty spots and corners are often equipped with this rather cheap and mostly decorative solution.

8: Blue anti-injection lights