From the printing press, through film and television, to the internet--new technologies continue to transform the way humans tell stories. Now RFID (radio frequency identification technology), most commonly used to track merchandise, is being applied in the service of storytelling. In the Beall Center's Winter 2006 Exhibition, "5 'til 12" artists Sue Huang and Brian House combine radio frequency identification and artificial intelligence technologies to craft a new twist on the narrative form.

"5 'til 12" was selected by the Beall Center's Curatorial Advisory Council (composed of artists, technologists and museum directors) from a field of 45 international submissions for exhibition. The council members agreed that "5 'til 12" pushed the boundaries of non-linear narrative and free exploration of plot in a way that was both interesting and important.

The Beall Center for Art and Technology has produced six exhibitions and performances exploring new technologies' applications to narrative form: "Microepiphanies," a digital opera in 2001; "Reading Frankenstein," an immersive theater performance in 2002; "The Roman Forum Project," a merger of classical Greek theatrical traditions and

Internet technologies in 2003; and "Mapping the Unfindable," a retrospective of Norman Klein's experimental literary media works in 2004. "5 'til 12" continues the Beall Center's role in exploring the impact of technology on art and culture.