In front of the 'selfies', make yourself a STEFDIE
A body falling from the stairs of a cathedral. A girl face down on the ground, behind a guy taking a picture with Popeye. Or with his head in a fountain and his legs spread. Those are the memories he likes to take with him. STEFDIES of his travels: the landscape of the place and its flat silhouette against the asphalt , as if she had suddenly collapsed while sightseeing.
“A STEFDIES photo is a moment captured in time,” the artist tells us after the photo series. “ None of the photos have been thought of in advance , have a specific setting or have an accessory. There is no preparation. All STEFDIES images occur spontaneously in my daily life ”, she states.
For all these reasons, the artist explains to Traveler.es that her images are anti-selfies. “A selfie has controlled conditions, and specific lighting, makeup, hairstyle and type of clothing, as well as being focused on individual personality; it is an artificial and manipulated image, distorted to achieve the desired result. STEFDIES is the polar opposite : I only have one opportunity to take the photo, and if it can't be, then that's life”, she tells us.
The message that she wants to convey with this action? That things happen only once , that cannot be prepared, and repeated, and repeated again like those perfect photos that we all want to do on trips. "I try to capture that feeling, that fleeting sense of life and its impermanence, in my photos."
In fact, performance itself serves almost as mindfulness, as an exercise in full attention: “I, as an artist and individual, force myself to take these images in the most uncomfortable situations because it allows me to participate physically, mentally and emotionally in the Time to capture a moment in time. I have to fully commit to being ‘in the moment’ to get that opportunity,” she reflects. So much so that she claims to remember each of the STEFDIES she has done. "Trust me, it is very difficult NOT to be present when you are upside down eating dirt ”, she asserts with a smile.
She, well, stays alert during the performance, but how do the people around her react when she suddenly drops to the ground? "Really, It depends on the city and the culture in which I take the photo ”, she explains. “ In Paris no one noticed , as they just assumed she was a crazy artist, which I loved, as she allowed me to roam all over town taking amazing shots. However, what worries me a bit is that if I really fell because something happened to me, would someone help me? There have only been about five times in the entire time I've been doing STEFDIES that someone has come to ask me if I was okay. ”, she recalls. And she has been making the series for about eight years, with about 1,000 images in total - although only a few hundred are really useful for the creator in the end.
A large part of her work is uploaded to her networks, and there are already those who have followed in her footsteps under hashtags like #stefdies. “Many actually do not adopt the correct posture, since it requires the face is completely flat on the ground (not to the side), but most people don't like their mouth touching nasty items on the floor...and rightfully so."
Of course, it does not matter how faithfully you recreate the posture: the important thing for the artist is Have fun and commit to the process. "Don't be afraid to look silly, and remember to stay as safe as possible," she advises.
And if she doesn't feel like changing your selfies to STEFDIES, don't worry, she'll continue to do it for you. “I want to continue producing images that spark the imagination and bring joy to the viewer. I also want to continue producing photos that are all age appropriate and inclusive. For example, many school groups follow the STEFDIES series, as they consider it a good tool to teach teenagers that there are alternatives to the perfectionism of selfies and online culture. STEFDIES welcomes everyone to participate, and doesn't care about your status or your perfection," she explains.
And she culminates: "I hope that STEFDIES promotes the idea that ' we are all perfect exactly as we are, and we should not change anything at all ’. Don't wait for the perfect moment or the perfect 'take'; just be you and that alone will be good enough, and in the end, incredibly interesting.”