ABOUT THE WORK
A joke about death.
A reason to be alive.
STEFDIES is an ongoing photographic performance series. In each image she lies face-down—anonymous, absurd and very much alive—in places we are expected to admire or use as backdrops for ourselves.
By refusing the face, the pose and the polished selfie, she shifts attention towards the body, the landscape and the life happening around her.
WHY SHE FALLS
Interrupt perfection
The face disappears, the pose collapses and the “perfect” travel photograph becomes something stranger—and more honest.
Make room for real bodies
Unfiltered presence matters more than polished beauty standards. The work celebrates being visible without performing perfection.
Return to the present
Mortality is the punchline and the invitation: stop arranging life for the camera and notice the world while you are in it.
HOW IT HAPPENS
One take.
Then life moves on.
Most STEFDIES images are made spontaneously on an iPhone, without a crew, elaborate lighting, permits, makeup or retouching. The unpredictable moment is part of the work.
Friends, strangers and audiences are invited to participate. There is no required age, body, gender, nationality or level of photographic skill—only a willingness to be ridiculous, vulnerable and present.
THE ARTIST
Stephanie Leigh Rose
Stephanie is a performance artist, actor, director, traveller and mother. She studied Theatre and Japanese Studies at the State University of New York and earned an MFA in Performance Studies from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.
Her performance practice includes collaborations with Taro Akiba, Dr. Theresa KiJa Kim, Kestutis Nakas and Tim Miller, alongside work at theatres including Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare, Victory Gardens and The Court Theatre.
Her influences range from Yoko Ono to Pee-wee Herman, Jim Henson and Mister Rogers: artists who use play, participation and sincerity to change how an audience sees the world.
“You do not need a perfect body, expensive equipment or permission to take up space. Be present. Be ridiculous. Leave a mark.”
IMPERFECT. PRESENT. ALIVE.