TALKING THROUGH YOUR ARTS – MCA’S YOKOJOBS CAMPAIGN
Image: Photo by Brett Boardman
“Never be embarrassed by anything you do,” states an improv hag from the New York Reality TV School. A higher educational facility where students are rigorously trained to become exciting confident members of reality shows by superseding expectations of cast-mates and audience.
It was in 2009 when the school’s doors were opened and I chatted to the founder Robert Galinsky for radio. The school qualifies people to develop a lack of self-awareness on camera with an opening lesson on dancing unselfconsciously to camera while someone dosy-does insults.
Galinsky himself has been quoted as describing his learning experience as “an uber-meta-circular-[expletive] of camera-seducing, cast-seducing viewer”.
You may recall the white-heeled Jerry Seinfeld, from the sitcom classified as being a show about nothing, well, Galinsky built an entertainment school out of nothing by emailing an advertisement to hundreds of reality TV wannabes. Within two weeks he matriculated 28 hopeful nobodies wanting to be ‘somebody’ screen stars by learning to be more like themselves.
Fast forward to the present day and we can circle an advertisement introduced by the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) who pose us the question, “Want to be part of something BIG?”
MCA are seeking “enthusiastic, bright, bubbly, art-lovers with a superior sense of customer service.”
The 20-something positions are for Visitor Service Officers for the major survey exhibition running from the end of the year through to February 2014 called War is Over! (if you want it) by Yoko Ono.
The potential new recruits are to submit their wanna-do applications by selling themselves in a 30-second Youtube video. The job criteria requires a bit-part description on who they are, a micro-retelling on their favourite artwork, and a pin-prick of role-playing out their experience in service-driven roles. With a casting disclosure that the MCA reserves the right to use for promotion any video as part of the Yokojobs campaign.
Any potential employee might be considered for the possible ‘show’, which I guess would mean a spot on a reality ‘show’. (AS)
War Is Over! (if you want it), Nov 15-Feb 23, Museum of Contemporary Art, 140 George St, The Rocks, $32, mca.com.au
BY ANGELA STRETCH
