All Day and A Night (2005) / Crash (2004) / Forsaken (2003)

All Day and a Night

"All Day and a Night". 12:00. Color. Sound. 2005.

All Day and a Night, a term from the Prisoner’s Dictionary, means life without parole. The set, an installation by Simon Foreman, physically activates this allusion. An interior white cube bathed in intense bright light is viewed through a square window from an adjacent area. A 70’s kitsch picture ambiguously depicting Christ hangs discretely on the back wall of the ancillary space. As such, Foreman’s piece suggests a consideration of the relationship between Christianity and modernism. All Day and a Night takes that into account and more broadly considers the relationship between psychology and the search for alternative consciousness, ritual and religion. A group of four people are seen in the interior of the site. Through the window, one acts as a guide while the others appear to be engaged in a therapeutic or psychological experiment. When an additional character enters, the situation segues into what seems like a spiritual initiation rite or ceremony. His departure instigates yet another shift, calling into question the nature of the preceding activities.

Actors: Christen Clifford, Rosi Hayes, Clifford Owens, Steven Rattazzi, Michael Stumm, James Urbaniak
Director, Editor: Alix Pearlstein
Camera: Jay King, Alix Pearlstein
Installation by Simon Foreman: "Cross Town Gaze" Installation of two ultra-clean sheetrock rooms, window, lights and a portrait of Christ. 121" X 96" X 172". 2005.

Alix Pearlstein The King, the Mice and the Cheese | MIT List Visual Arts Center

Crash

"Crash". 7:50. Color. Sound. 2004.

A group of four people are seen working together on a structure made of blocks. An interloper joins their group, but can't conform to their procedures. She disrupts their activity, eventually damaging their work. A variety of tactics are employed in an effort to reform her into a productive member of their society. It seems to work and she becomes a team player. But, her seeming conformity triggers a reversal as the others see their own behavior reflected in hers. They act out destroying their own work, they lose their will and ability to function - they crash. Their shut down reveals her to be an agent of change, her actions a subterfuge.

Actors: Christen Clifford, Sarah Kay, David Mazzeo, Nancy O'Connor, James Urbaniak
Director, Editor: Alix Pearlstein
Camera: Jay King, David Zuckerman
Production Assistants: Briony Barr, Sujin Lee
Technical Assistance: Tim Goodwin / Final Frame
Filmed at George Brown Cyc Studio NYC
Installation: The King, the Mice and the Cheese, curated by Bill Arning, MIT List Visual Arts Center, Bakalar Gallery, Cambridge, MA 2006.

Alix Pearlstein The King, the Mice and the Cheese | MIT List Visual Arts Center

Forsaken

"Forsaken". 10:45. Color. Sound. 2003

In Forsaken, 15 minutes of fame is condensed to a mere 10, as a fatuous hierarchy undergoes a radical shift. One character holds the power, which the others, his entourage, appear to support. His position alludes to that of a celebrity, politician, teacher, director or boss. The first three scenes establish the hierarchy and pecking order, while exposing the tensions that lead to the cathartic undoing of this codependent power structure. The false idol falls as the group forsakes, humiliates and discards him. He is left literally picking up the pieces of his own shredded image. Their abandonment serves as a respite rather than a renewal, as the status quo is reinstated and the cycle begins again.

Actors: Chuck Montgomery, Charles Parnell, Steven Rattazzi, Suzanne Shephard, Margot White, James Urbaniak
Director, Editor: Alix Pearlstein
Camera: Alix Pearlstein, Jay King
Production Assistant: Laura Harmon
Technical Assistance: Will Cox/Final Frame
Filmed at George Brown Cyc Studio NYC
Installation: The King, the Mice and the Cheese, curated by Bill Arning, MIT List Visual Arts Center, Bakalar Gallery, Cambridge, MA 2006.

Alix Pearlstein The King, the Mice and the Cheese | MIT List Visual Arts Center