“What’s my Line” is a series of experimental videos which question the impact of experiences on a person's socialization and how this process influences the images produced by the media. This experimental project is inspired by the Meisner acting method, a technique based on repetition and improvisation, in order to build a character. The three videos take place in a working space, where the actor/actresses were provided with a set of brief guidelines based on the role given to them. The scenes are then repeated as many times as possible. While a few relics make the progression of time transparent, each new beginning serves as a "reset" and holds the potential of a completely different plot line through improvisation.
The act of repetition could not only suggest the labor and workload we tackle daily in this globalized world, but also, as an acting strategy, could question whether in the process of repetition we rely on stereotypical norms that we encounter every day to build a character. Mass media have a huge impact in society and are a key filter through which people learn about each other. Playing a role in shaping collective identities and intergroup attitudes, it distorts the image that audiences see of different occupations and their hierarchies and role models, classification, and through gender, age and race.
Different camera perspectives on the same repetitive scene refer to the constantly new formations in the role play of the actors. At the same time, the position of the viewer is questioned, and their own social location and identification are challenged.
Exercise No.1 (Lisa/Trang/Vito)
This video takes place in the kitchen in a design office, where the boss of the company, an intern and the cleaner interact during lunchtime break. As a prop, the intern is given 24 ginger shots in the fridge, which suggests the scene being repeated 24 times.
Exercise No.2 (Lisa/Trang)
In this video, which takes place in an abstract working environment, the two actresses are challenged to build their character and story-line based on the uniform given to them. Each uniform suggests a certain role (Intern, Boss or Cleaner). This scene had been repeated three times.
Exercise No.3 (Vito)
As a continuation of the second experiment, here the actor repeats the same guidelines three times as well.
