2025 October #003. In the Attention Economy, connection itself becomes an act of resistance. This work emerged from a two-stage process: in February 2025, I programmed generative art sketches in P5.js for the P5.Botto experiment, and the community voted this source to the top-22 at https://p5.botto.com/3232. For this P5REMIX, I used that generative output as a seed to create something in an entirely new direction—this moment of human gathering that speaks to attention's scarcity and value.
The intimate circle at the center creates what the attention economy cannot commodify: genuine presence. While algorithms fragment consciousness into infinite scrollable moments, these figures form a closed loop of focus, their proximity suggesting conversation that demands sustained engagement rather than glancing consumption. The bold stripes at the composition's heart act as an attention magnet, yet the reward isn't quick stimulation but invitation into a longer gaze that reveals the subtle interplay of softer tones surrounding it.
This is attention as sanctuary rather than transaction. The blurred urban backdrop represents the perpetual noise competing for consciousness, while the sharp foreground asserts that meaning still emerges when focus converges. The vibrant saturation doesn't pander to scroll-stopping aesthetics but celebrates the richness available to those who pause.
In an age where every image must justify the milliseconds it consumes, this work questions whether art can still create pockets of temporal depth. The natural light suggests transparency—nothing hidden, nothing optimized for algorithmic favor—just the stubborn insistence that some moments deserve more than a glance. The attention economy trains us to move on. This work asks us to stay.
