Arena
"Arena". Performance: Salon 94 NYC, October 04'. Video: 17:00. Color. Sound. 04'.
Arena was presented as a live performance for an invited audience, and a video shoot on two consecutive weekends at Salon 94 in NYC. It took place one month before the presidential election and concurrent with the main debates, it’s theme and structure echo these events. Three cameras connected to live feeds filmed, as the sequence of scenes ran twice through consecutively. The video is a real time mix from the final round of the performance on October 3rd. Two main opponents choose members for their teams over whom they assume leadership. They play a series of games competing for power, money and status - alliances shift as winners and losers emerge from each round and payoffs are made to the winners. Tensions mount after a heated debate in which the more seasoned protagonist appears to have lost the race, until the tables are once again turned.
Actors: Lynn Cohen, Cathy Curtin, Christen Clifford, Steven Rattazzi, David Mazzeo, Michael Stumm, Ron Cohen
Director, Editor: Alix Pearlstein
Camera: Jay King, Alix Pearlstein, David Zuckerman
Production Assistant: Briony Barr
Still Photography & Technical Coordination: Birgit Rathsmann, Bosung Kim
Additional Technical Assistance: Tim Goodwin
Producer: Jeanne Greenberg Rohaytn
Filmed at Salon 94 NYC
Parlor Game
"Parlor Game". 6:10. Color. Sound. 2004.
Three people toss a small sack back and forth. The player who drops it first is designated odd man out and must serve the other two by performing a series of base humiliations. The victors gradually lose interest in this exercise and simply exclude their underling. But their negligence leaves them vulnerable to a counter strike – the victim catches them off guard and steals the bacon, re-initiating the game.
Actors: Christen Clifford, Charles Parnell, Michael Stumm
Director, Camera, Editor: Alix Pearlstein
Filmed at Salon 94 NYC