The Typical Rejects 2006 - 2010

In 2006, I set up a small call centre in Belgrade, Serbia to process outsourced European telephone market survey work, the workforce being local English speaking Serbs. As part of recruiting new workers, I developed a participatory video practice which involved the job applicants and gave them critical insights into and simulated experiences of the job they were applying for. They gave their consent to taking part in filmed role plays of everyday challenges from the job. I reused this film material to make 'Demo Films' which were viewed by applicants from later recruitment rounds . This video art project was conceived as a counterweight to the alienating effects of such work and spanned a six year period, culminating in a many-layered study of the ethical dilemmas inherent to outsourcing call centres to Eastern Europe. This video presents some of the key moments in the several year experiment.