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Stefanie Schneider
Moving Underpass East River (Stay) - Polaroid, 21st Century, Contemporary, Color

2006

About the Item

Stefanie Schneider's work was used for Marc Forster's movie 'Stay'. Featuring Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts and Ryan Gosling. Naomi and Ryan were both portraying artists and Stefanie's art was the art they both created during the movie. Stefanie's images were also used for Ryan Gosling's memory sequence, for the end titles, for edits in between and as art paintings hanging in several scenes within the movie. “I never remember the details of a Stefanie Schneider image, just the whole. She treads a third path between reality and dream that connects the two and truly sparks my artistic, visual freedom.” (Marc Forster) This piece: Moving Underpass East River (Stay) - 2006 20x20cm, Edition of 10, Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Signature label and Certificate. Artist Inventory # 2225. Not mounted. "Stay" Expands a Traditional Connection Through New Facets The interplay between photography and film is deeply interwoven, spanning from La Jetée (1962), a montage of still photographs, to the depiction of photographers in Hollywood cinema, such as Memento (2000) and One Hour Photo (2002). Photography's influence extends both in front of and behind the camera—Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills (1978) imitate cinematic tropes, while photographers like Wim Wenders and Larry Clark seamlessly transition into filmmaking. Once considered merely technical, photography has evolved into a recognized art form, reflected in films like Pecker (1998) and High Art (1998), which acknowledge its increasing presence in the art market and its artistic legitimacy. Stay and the Blurring of Reality Marc Forster’s Stay (2005) continues this dialogue but takes a step beyond by merging psychological thriller with visual art. Psychiatrist Sam Foster (Ewan McGregor) tries to prevent his patient, Henry (Ryan Gosling), from committing suicide, but reality unravels into a dreamlike spiral of shifting identities and time loops. The film resists a linear narrative—scenes morph into paper photography, events repeat, and characters dissolve into each other. It is in this liminal space between dream and reality that painting and photography emerge as key elements. Naomi Watts’ character, Lila, an artist, creates paintings based on photographic models, echoing the work of Stefanie Schneider, whose hazy, expired Polaroids infuse Stay with a surreal, painterly atmosphere. Schneider’s photographs—fragmented, textured, and ephemeral—reinforce the film’s themes of memory and perception, aligning her work with directors like David Lynch and Jim Jarmusch. Photography as Metaphor Photography in Stay is not just a prop but a symbol of reality’s instability. The images function as memories, detached from ownership, appearing in unexpected places—such as Lila’s studio, where Henry’s motifs mysteriously resurface. A sequence in a table-dance bar unfolds as a rapid photographic montage, blurring the line between external projection and inner consciousness. Art plays a pivotal role in deciphering Stay. The film demands active interpretation rather than passive consumption—meaning is not given but constructed by the viewer. A key scene in an art academy encapsulates this idea: “Everything is significant, and everything is connected.” Schneider’s contribution to Stay extends beyond the film’s aesthetic; her Polaroids are autonomous interpretations, continuing the narrative beyond the screen. At the film’s premiere, her images stood as an independent extension of Stay, inviting a second viewing, not as a documentary record, but as an artistic reimagining. Just as the film asks whether events truly happened, Schneider’s photographs question whether images preserve reality or create new fictions altogether.

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Located in Morongo Valley, CA
A Vision you can't Capture #03 (29 Palms, CA) - 2007 A piece from the project: 29 Palms, CA 50x61cm, Edition 2/5. Analog C-Print printed on Fuji Archive Paper, hand-printed by th...
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Guadalupe (The Last Picture Show) - mounted, analog, Polaroid, Contemporary
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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 Alumi...
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Ancient Bridge Views IV (Stay) - last Edition
By Stefanie Schneider
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
Ancient Bridge Views IV (Stay) - 2006, 20x20cm, sold out Edition of 5, Artist Proof 2/2. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Certificate and Signature label. artist Invent...
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Early 2000s Contemporary Landscape Photography

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Last Season (Wastelands), diptych - Polaroid, Expired. Contemporary, Color
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Last Season - so I walked away from my valley (Wastelands), diptych - 2003 Edition of 3/5, 57x117cm installed 57x56each. analog C-Prints, hand-printed by the artist, based on the 2...
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Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid

Ocean Blue (Stranger than Paradise), analog, mounted
By Stefanie Schneider
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
Ocean Blue (Stranger than Paradise) - 1997 48x58cm, Edition of 5, analog C-Print, hand-printed by the artist on Fuji Crystal Archive Paper, based on the Polaroid, not mounted si...
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1990s Contemporary Color Photography

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Leaving Town (Sidewinder) - based on the Polaroid
By Stefanie Schneider
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
Leaving Town (Sidewinder) - 2005 80x80cm, Edition of 10, plus 2 Artist Proofs, Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Certificate and Signature label. Artist Inventory No. 3...
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Early 2000s Contemporary Color Photography

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Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid

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