Alix Pearlstein's background was in sculpture and dance. These interests later developed into a study of actors, dancers, and interactions between them on film. Her early work that she showed during this lecture consisted of actors in complete white rooms interacting with one another with little direction. Her series entitled "Episode" were actual episodes of different family dramas. However, I found these works to look more like bad audition tapes than art work. The family stereotypes portrayed were far too stereotypical and didn't seem to be taken very seriously. Her later work was far more interesting.
In the piece "Distance" a group of people were filmed from two different angles, and these shots were played at the same time next to eachother. It was very interesting to watch what movements and actions were going on in one set of the room from one camera angle as compared with the other. It showed the limitations of what the viewer can understand and see from different distances. In one angle, you could simply see a woman standing, but from the other vantage point, you could see her up close with all her facial expressions. I thought this piece and her work "After the Fall" were far more successful than her early works.
