Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 16

Stefanie Schneider
Guadalupe (The Last Picture Show) - mounted, analog, Polaroid, Contemporary

2005

About the Item

Guadalupe (The Last Picture Show) - 2005 38x37cm, Edition 1/5. Analog C-Print, hand-printed by the artist on Archive Fuji Crystal Paper, based on the Polaroid. Mounted on Aluminum with matte UV-Protection. Artist inventory number: 385.01. Signed on verso. Stefanie Schneider interviewed for the Instant Dreams Documentary, published in the catalog 'Instantdreams' When did you first decide to work with Polaroids? Why do Polaroids seem to be so well-tuned to our (artistic) senses, perception and minds? I started using expired Polaroid film in 1996. It has the most beautiful quality and encapsulates my vision perfectly. The colors on one hand, but then the magic moment of witnessing the image appears. Time seems to stand still, and the act of watching the image develop can be shared with the people around you. It captures a moment, which becomes the past so instantly that the decay of time is even more apparent; – it gives the image a certain sentimentality. The Polaroid moment is an original every time. Why use a medium from the past? For me, analog has always been there in the present. For the new generation, analog is interesting because it's new to them. I understand that people growing up in a digital age will wonder about its usefulness, but it's theirs to recover if they want to. When I first started working with Polaroid, it wasn't the past. It was a partially forgotten medium, but it existed nonetheless. It is mine by choice. There is no substitute for tangible beauty. Is it imperfect? The imperfect perfection in a “wabi-sabi” kind of way. Wabi-sabi (侘寂) represents a comprehensive Japanese worldview or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete".[1] 'If an object or expression can bring about, within us, a sense of serene melancholy and a spiritual longing, then that object could be said to be wabi-sabi' [2] 'Wabi-sabi nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect.'[3] Is the Polaroid photograph recognizable or even sometimes cliché? Absolutely! There's something cliché about the way I'm showing the American Dream. I live it myself, trying to find perfection in an imperfect world. Reaching for the horizon. The dream is broken; the cliché tumbles. There are different ways to involve an audience. You could make movies like Harmony Korine's "Gummo", a masterpiece in my view, which would estrange a large part of the audience. A certain film education is a prerequisite. Or you can start with clichés, the audience then feels safe, which lures them into the depths of your world without them even knowing it or understanding where exactly they are being led to. Appealing to emotions and the sub-conscious. Normal, Change, New Normal. You continually revisit the landscape of the American West in your work. What draws you back to this scene? Southern California represents a dream to me. The contrast of Northern Germany, where I grew up, to the endless sunshine of Los Angeles was what first attracted me. The American West is my dream of choice. Wide, open spaces give perspectives that articulate emotions and desires. Isolation feeds feelings of freedom or sometimes the pondering of your past. The High Desert of 29 Palms has very clear and vivid light, which is vital. Expired Polaroid film produces 'imperfections' that I would argue mirrors the decline of the American dream. These so called 'imperfections' illustrate the reality of that dream turning into a nightmare. The disintegration of Western society. Are you playing with the temporality of the material and the value of the moment itself? The value of the moment is paramount, for it is that moment that you're trying to transform. All material is temporary, it's relative, and time is forever. Why does analog film feel more pure and intuitive? It's tangible and bright and represents a single moment. The digital moment may stay in the box (the hard drive / camera / computer etc.) forever, never to be touched, put into a photo album, sent in a letter, or hung on a wall. Printing makes it an accomplishment. The analog world is more selective, creating images of our collective memory. The digital worldwide clicking destroys this moment. The generation without memories due to information overload and hard drive failures. Photo albums are a thing of the past. Why does it feel this way? That's how the human instinct works. When I was a child, every picture been taken was a special moment. Analog photographic film as well as Super-8 material were expensive treasures. My family's memories were created by choosing certain moments in time. There was an effort behind the picture. The roll of film might wait months inside the camera before it was all used. From there, the film required developing, which took more time, and finally, when the photos were picked up from the shop, the memories were visited again together as a family. Who knew then, how fleeting these times were. Shared memories was a ritual. What's your philosophy behind the art of Polaroid pictures? The 'obsolete' is anything but obsolete. Things are not always as they appear, and there are hidden messages. Our memories and our dreams are under-valued. It is there that real learning and understanding begins by opening yourself to different perspectives. What inspired you to use stop motion cinematography? My work has always resembled movie stills. I remember the first time I brought a box of Polaroids and slid them onto Susanne Vielmetter's desk (my first gallery). Instantly, it became apparent that there was a story to tell. The stories grew. It was undeniable to me, that the emerging story was where I was destined to go. I've made four short films before my latest feature film, "The Girl behind the White Picket Fence". This film is 60 minutes long with over 4000 edited Polaroids. It's important to remember that our subconscious fills in the blanks, the parts missing from the story allow a deeper and more personal experience for the viewer. That is, if you surrender yourself and trust me as the director to lead you somewhere you might not have been before. Why do you think it is important to own art? Nietzsche said 'We have art in order not to die of the truth'
More From This SellerView All
  • Mountain Ridge (Stranger than Paradise) - analog, vintage. mounted
    By Stefanie Schneider
    Located in Morongo Valley, CA
    Mountain Range (Stranger than Paradise) - 1999 55x72cm, Edition 3/5, Analog C-Print, printed by the artist, based on a Polaroid. Mounted on Aluminum with matte UV-Protection. Art...
    Category

    1990s Contemporary Landscape Photography

    Materials

    Metal

  • Indian Summer II (The Last Picture Show) - analog, 128x126cm, mounted
    By Stefanie Schneider
    Located in Morongo Valley, CA
    Indian Summer II (The Last Picture Show) - 2005, 128x125cm, Edition 1/5, analog C-Print, hand-printed by the artist on Fuji Crystal Archive Paper, based on the Polaroid, mounted ...
    Category

    Early 2000s Contemporary Color Photography

    Materials

    Metal

  • Suburbia - analog, mounted, 6 pieces - Polaroid, Contemporary
    By Stefanie Schneider
    Located in Morongo Valley, CA
    Suburbia (Suburbia) - 2004 Edition of 5, 60x80cm each, 200x170cm installed. 6 analog C-Prints, hand-printed by the artist on Fuji Crystal Archive Paper, matte surface, based on 6 o...
    Category

    Early 2000s Contemporary Landscape Photography

    Materials

    Metal

  • 29 Palms, CA - Analog, mounted, Polaroid, 20th Century, Contemporary, Landscape
    By Stefanie Schneider
    Located in Morongo Valley, CA
    29 Palms, CA - 1999 58x56cm, Edition of 10, analog C-Print, hand-printed by the Artist based on a Polaroid. artist inventory number: 636.04. Mounted on Aluminum with matte UV-Pr...
    Category

    1990s Contemporary Landscape Photography

    Materials

    Metal

  • Village - heated Pool (The Last Picture Show), analog, mounted
    By Stefanie Schneider
    Located in Morongo Valley, CA
    Village Motel - Heated Pool (The Last Picture Show) - 2005 58x56cm, Edition of 5, analog C-Print, hand-printed by the artist on Fuji Chrystal Archive Paper, based on the Polaroid...
    Category

    Early 2000s Contemporary Landscape Photography

    Materials

    Metal

  • The Sound of Music (29 Palms, CA) - analog
    By Stefanie Schneider
    Located in Morongo Valley, CA
    The Sound of Music - 2007 (from the 29 Palms, CA Project) 125x156cm, Edition of 5, 2007, Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid, signed on verso. artist Inventory # 11596.01. No...
    Category

    Early 2000s Contemporary Landscape Photography

    Materials

    Metal

You May Also Like
  • New York VI - 21st Century Contemporary Original Polaroid Photograph Framed
    By Pia Clodi
    Located in Salzburg, AT
    New York VI - Framed Contemporary Original Polaroid Photograph Like much of Pia Clodi's work, 'New York VI' leaves a trace of the fast, nomadic life she leads. In this instance, C...
    Category

    2010s Contemporary Landscape Photography

    Materials

    Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Polaroid

  • New York II - Contemporary Landscape Polaroid Original Photograph
    By Pia Clodi
    Located in Salzburg, AT
    New York II - Framed Contemporary Original Polaroid Photograph Like much of Pia Clodi's work, 'New York II' leaves a trace of the fast, nomadic life she leads, this time depicting...
    Category

    2010s Contemporary Landscape Photography

    Materials

    Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Polaroid

  • New York III - Contemporary Landscape Polaroid Original Photograph Framed
    By Pia Clodi
    Located in Salzburg, AT
    New York III - Framed Contemporary Original Polaroid Photograph Like much of Pia Clodi's work, 'New York II' leaves a trace of the fast, nomadic life she leads, this time doucment...
    Category

    2010s Contemporary Landscape Photography

    Materials

    Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Polaroid

  • New York IV - Contemporary Landscape Polaroid Original Photograph
    By Pia Clodi
    Located in Salzburg, AT
    New York IV - Framed Contemporary Polaroid Photograph Like much of Pia Clodi's work, 'New York IV' leaves a trace of the fast, nomadic life she leads,. Here, a photograph of a hig...
    Category

    2010s Contemporary Landscape Photography

    Materials

    Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Polaroid

  • New York V - Contemporary Landscape Polaroid Original Photograph Framed
    By Pia Clodi
    Located in Salzburg, AT
    New York V - Framed Contemporary Original Polaroid Photograph Like much of Pia Clodi's work, 'New York V' leaves a trace of the fast, nomadic life she leads. This work is represen...
    Category

    2010s Contemporary Landscape Photography

    Materials

    Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Polaroid

  • Paris Walks I - Framed Contemporary Landscape Polaroid Original Photograph
    By Pia Clodi
    Located in Salzburg, AT
    Paris Walks - Contemporary Black & White Polaroid Original Photograph Framed Pia Clodi’s works encompass moments and mementos from her countless walks through cities as well as nat...
    Category

    2010s Contemporary Landscape Photography

    Materials

    Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Polaroid

Recently Viewed

View All