Vegas and She

”The glimpse, the cringe

the luck, the suck,

the highs, the strife,

the hunt, the numb,

the scrap, the trap,

the slaps, the excess,

the poise, the joys,

the yesterdays”.

S.M. 

This project appears as a synthesis of various olive-grey shades of a single night : a night in the city that embraces every night — alive, pulsing and fluttering: Las Vegas.

The contents of the book seem to be as if they were dumped from a drawer of an arid Nevada motel—  flesh and feeling are tied together. The author, absorbed by empathy, forces us to engage with the glazed reality of her protagonists: the sandy desert backgrounds, the chaotic dance of neon, humour, tears, glitter, violence and camaraderie. 

Environments exude emotions, such as pain, misery and awkwardness. 

Human portraits don’t have a specific connotation, yet, through their vividness, are able to reveal features that can transform a face and a body into a genuine character. 

The constant use of a flash does not flatten the image — even if it is always the protagonist. Rather, it functions in a way as if probing the walls of a cave: walls close to one's fingertips, yet almost incomprehensible. The eye of the photographer — moved by a powerful and emotional scenario — translates the bitter and rough stories into sweet and smooth images.

Stefanie explains the title by saying  “I see Vegas as a male person: one I dealt with and confronted myself. Being in that city is like getting to know and experiencing somebody. She is the opposite pole — the antithesis. She is me, and all the other women shown in the series.”

“And the rest is rust and stardust.”

Buy the book here