Social response experiment #1: 
Clarence the smooth busker
– VERSUS –
Moey the cute puppy
What: Clarence the experienced busker, is put to the test when Moey the cute Welsh Corgi/Maltese Puppy is set across the isle from him. The passer bys, if responsive, have a choice to respond to Clarence’s old school bluesy acoustic sessions or to the cute 8 month puppy.
Where: Central station Devonshire tunnel, known for its regular rhythmic buskers contrast with the scurry of passer bys.
When: Thursday 27th March, 19:00. The majority is in less of a hurry to get somewhere, compared to the busy mornings.
Results between 19:00 to 20:00 =
Clarence =
13 tips and
3 long conversations.
Moey =
6 pats and
3 short conversations.
75 smiles.
with an average of 3people passing per 5seconds.
Notes:
Clarence is in his domain, it seems who ever sits in the tunnel is seen as a busker and therefor is subject to curious looks.
Those who pat and smile at Moey are usually women, between 15 to 30 years of age.
Clarence is very well spoken and points out that “a cute dog like Moey would get more pats as suppose to something like a pitbull. Or a crappy singer as suppose to a cute dog.”
Those who do tip seem like regulars and confront Clarence with a smile.
This is fairly general, but I noted that people crave feelings from their surrounds. People usually start the tunnel journey with an unconscious grin, a kind of cameleon affect from the surroundings. Once they get to Clarence’s music or Moey they tune in and consciously smile.
Thank you to the buskers of Devonshire tunnel who enliven the monotonous tunnel atmosphere with their rhythm and art.
-
The experiment was continued in Pitt St soon after:
notes: Moey received more pats and acknowledgments along the way to Pitt St, as the demographic that usually are prone to patting and smiling are over-come by Pitt St's consumerist nature of signs and sales. People don't look down in Pitt St, in contrast, people don't look up when walking through the city.
