Casting Bidders (2017)
Single-channel video
16:9｜HD｜Colour｜11’36″｜Stereo
Casting Bidders features how Government Logistics Department (GLD) conducts public auction that involves different levels of manipulation from both authorized auctioneer and bidders. Lee questions the system of public auction and its affiliated parties with proactive participation and intervention.
Based on Lee’s observation, he discovered that some bidders presumably form teams during the auction; hence, teamed up bidders knock their competitors by applying various bidding strategies in order to ensure the particular party will win the auction; they usually communicate with each other at the auction via mobile devise and text messages, while they pretend that they do not know each other.
The auctioneer, as an authorised agent, is supposed to police the legitimacy of a government auction and secure a fair bidding environment; as a matter of fact, the auctioneer could have easily identified the suspicious activity, nevertheless, the auctioneer never expresses any concern or intention to justify. In such case, the auction is turned into a play, in which the ending has already been revealed between the key players.
Lee recruited professional actors and actresses to cast a character who is going to bid at the public auction. They were required to perform a complex emotional and mental struggle, which resulted in an unsuccessful bidding experience. The casting was conducted with a simulated setting of the actual public auction.
Eventually, two actor and actress were selected to “act” at the GLD auction; they were obliged to compete with various bidders, representing their frustration, anxiety, anger, loss of hope, etc, under the situation full of bid suppression and cover bidding.
Credits
Cast: CHUNG LAU Wai-ling Phoebe | TSANG Yuk-hei Don
Camera: TANG Ka-hei | LEE Ka-yan | FUNG Wing-lam
Production assistant: WONG Ka-chung Dorothy
Special thanks: Enoch CHENG | YAU Ching-yung Norman | WONG Ka-ki
