AKQA creates ‘Hall of Distractions’ ahead of Levi’s Trucker Jacket with Jacquard by Google launch

The attention economy is thriving, and – notification by notification – it’s pulling us away from the things we’d rather connect with. But we have the technology to change. That was the message from Levi’s vp of global product innovation Paul Dillinger at the launch of Levi’s Trucker Jacket with Jacquard by Google at Carriageworks.

To accompany the launch of the Levi’s Trucker Jacket with Jacquard by Google AKQA created ‘The Hall of Distractions’, a large-scale immersive experience in which audiences were confronted with one year of a smartphone user’s notifications, condensed into a 30-minute cacophony of sound and light.

The Levi’s Trucker Jacket with Jacquard by Google is a revolutionary product that seamlessly merges Levi’s iconic style with the technology of Google to enhance wearers’ experience of their world.

The tech is built into the fabric, providing an ever-expanding toolkit of abilities, accessible by simple gestures to keep wearers connected while they’re on the go.

Says Dillinger: “We’re excited to continue this journey with our partners at Google ATAP. Two years after we first launched Jacquard – the technology has become smaller and more discrete, more affordable and more useful… but the premise and purpose remain the same: you can keep your phone in your pocket and your eyes on the world around you, staying connected without being distracted.”

Says Tim Devine, ECD, AKQA APAC: “We created the Hall of Distractions in an attempt to help people understand the scale at which screens and algorithms have gained command over our lives. The average user spends 56 days of the year on their phone – and that’s not without cost, we pay for it with the dreams we never pursue.

“That’s what makes products like Levi’s Jacquard by Google so important. It gives us a new interface through which we can use technology, and gives us back the attention we’d rather be placing on our own lives.”

The experience was accompanied by a conversation between Dillinger and Devine, before a small gathering of members from Sydney’s media, technology and fashion communities.

Says Paul Sweet managing director, Levi’s ANZ: “This was more than a traditional product launch – it was a conversation. Levi’s has always put a premium on clothes that stand the test of time. And with the Levi’s Trucker Jacket with Jacquard by Google, longevity comes by way of both durability, and the more human way in which it uses technology to align with the wearer’s own goals.”