'Untitled' (Cricket on the Nose Scene) from the 29 Palms, CA series, - 2009,
56x56cm, Edition 1/5,
analog C-Print, hand-printed by the artist, based on a Polaroid
signed on verso, artist inventory number: 10032.01,
Mounted on Aluminum with matte UV-Protection.
29 PALMS, CA is a film / art piece that explores and chronicles the dreams and fantasies of a group of individuals who live in a trailer community in the Californian desert. The world depicted in the film is inspired by the photographs of German artist Stefanie Schneider in that it combines the notions of reality and fantasy and
explores the resonance of both within a desert landscape and a transient culture. The characters portrait in the film, (an actress, a singer, a DJ, a motel owner and his wife, a US army soldier, a mystic, a princess, a recluse, a movie ticket seller, two hitchhikers, a doctor, and so on), are to be played by both actors and non-actors. The story is constructed through the interpretation of real life communications (i.e. phone calls, emails, conversations) that have taken place as the individuals depicted in the story try to make sense of events that have occurred in real life. In this sense the story is, in part, a biography and social commentary, and the characters are the exaggerated alter egos of the individuals who play them. The structure of the plot is fairly simple. An actress working as a telemarketer is inspired by a singer who is new to town and is featured on the local radio station. The radio station runs a program for lonely hearts and a charismatic DJ uses the show to reveal the hopes and dreams of the towns “hottest women”. One night a panicked German female caller captivates the community with a painful story about a sexy “Smoke Jumper” (a mysterious and super real alpha male). Everybody in town is listening to the program and nobody is quite sure what to say. Life in general continues and we witness and explore the various interactions. The actress meets the singer and they become famous. The US Army soldier dies on his way to battle. The foreign princess discovers that the jewels she has come to sell are fake. The motel owner‘s wife has an affair with the pool boys and so on. All the while the community is united by their loyalty to the “Lonely Hearts” radio show and through the disturbing revelations of the German woman and the details of her sordid affair. The stories she tells are explored through the imaginations of the listeners and through the memories of the teller. The smoke jumper becomes a pervasive figure who in some way effects the lives of all those who listen to the story. He seduces women, is linked to a local thievery, a rape and a possible death. The story comes to conclusion when this chaotic character quits town leaving in his wake a trail of destruction and despair. What is left is a void, a space for transformation as the wounded community rediscovers itself in its quest to make sense of what has happened. A defining feature of the project is the use of still images and the use of voice over. Characters talk to us / themselves / you about their ambitions, memories, hopes, fears and dreams. The project is to be shot using a mix of super 8 film stock and Polaroid images. Certain creating the films surreal mood and its dark humor.
Stefanie Schneider's Polaroid photography is often described as "timeless," "nostalgic," and "dreamlike." Her use of expired Polaroid film, with its unpredictable colors and textures, creates a sense of unreality in her images and creating a sense of fragmentation and ambiguity that blurs the boundaries between past and present, and it creates a sense of memory as a fluid, shifting concept.
Schneider's interest in Americana motifs, particularly those associated with the 1950s and 1960s, speaks to a sense of longing for a bygone era. Her images of motels, diners, and vintage cars evoke a sense of nostalgia for a time that may never have existed in reality. At the same time, these motifs are often paired with images of decay and abandonment, which suggest a darker, more complex interpretation of the American dream.
Schneider's depictions of women are also a significant aspect of her art. Her female subjects are often depicted in states of undress, but the images are not intended to be exploitative or objectifying. Rather, they are intended to explore the complexity of human relationships and emotions. Schneider's women are often depicted in moments of vulnerability, suggesting a sense of shared humanity and a challenge to traditional notions of female beauty and perfection.
Overall, Schneider's Polaroid photography is a deeply evocative exploration of memory, nostalgia, and the human experience. Her art challenges viewers to question their own perceptions of reality and to consider the complex, shifting nature of time and memory.
Stefanie Schneider received her MFA in Communication Design at the Folkwang Schule Essen, Germany. Her work has been shown at the Museum for Photography, Braunschweig, Museum für Kommunikation, Berlin, the Institut für Neue Medien, Frankfurt, the Nassauischer Kunstverein, Wiesbaden, Kunstverein Bielefeld, Museum für Moderne Kunst Passau, Les Rencontres d'Arles, Foto -Triennale Esslingen, Bombay Beach Biennale 2018.