DAYDREAM IN MEMORIES OF YOUTH

Book: Daydream in Memories of Youth

Awards: Px3 Honorable Mention, IPA 2024 Short List

Exhibitions: Texas, California, New York, Mexico

Publications: The Raw Society Magazine: Issue II (2023)

This is a visual diary, using myself and others to represent the sensuality I remember and still feel. Longing and wanting are companions that do not diminish with age. My exterior may not represent my inner beauty or the evocative experiences I carry forward. My past and present co-exist simultaneously: the layered images bridge the duality. Shooting through a veil, I question which side is the physical being and which is the mirrored core. My seductive memories are moved into the present moment, wanting to be seen as the person I perceive myself to be. My heart reminisces while my mind strives to carry past allure into the here and now, offering the world a glimpse of the duplicity of age and beauty.

*Partial selection of portfolio

MONOGRAPH

Sensuality and women are multi-faceted. This artist mongraph contains collaborated work by two other women to illustrate sensuality from different perspectives. A writer, Dalya Sachs, adds flash poetry in response to the images. The poems are based on the construct of grammar. An olfactory artist, Lula Curioca, adds a signature scent to represent the overall body of work, taking imagery and words both into account.

Book Details

Size: 9” x 6”

Pages: 96pp

Images: 22

Poems: 19

Scent: 1 (sealed, open at leisure if desired)

Printing of this book is Carbon Neutral.

Covers: ATX: Fleshy Pink. CA: Jungle Green. CDMX: Maroon. NYC: Black

PRESS

“Daydream in Memories of Youth is a remarkable, creative, and emotionally touching book. The photographs are extraordinary, each one capturing an emotional narrative of aging and sensuality and beauty. The poems are first-rate evocations of emotional states of wonder, question and confidence. Finally, the scent is a fine evocation of that sense of aging with beauty. This is a book that needs to be held and experienced.” - W. Scott Olsen, FRAMES Magazine

“Through Daydream in Memories of Youth, Stephanie Duprie Routh invites viewers to contemplate beauty, resilience, and nostalgia, offering a nuanced portrait of the self that bridges youthful allure with the wisdom of age. Her artistry continues to earn her accolades and inspire audiences, positioning her as a compelling voice in contemporary conceptual photography.” - Pictorial List

“Routh’s approach to her subjects shows them as human beings with complex embodied feelings, including private feelings that may include, among many other things, vulnerability, sensuality, desire, a desire to be desired, a need for intimacy and belonging, and for being seen. Their role as the protagonists of their own stories defies simple objectification, and the layered and sometimes puzzling complexity of the photos draws viewers in to witness and even participate in a multitude of unfolding dramas.

The people in these pictures are not presented as passive bodies on display for a distinctly male audience. These are images of embodied women. These women are alive in and through their bodies. They hold their bodies, and they control them, sometimes even throwing them at us in such an active manner that we feel taken aback, unsure how to respond. Sometimes, they catch us in the act of looking. They invite us to imagine how it feels to be them, and to be looked at and maybe even seen, by us and by others. You might find yourself taking a little personal pleasure at their expense, but in so doing, you may also find yourself confronted, because ultimately these are the protagonists of their own stories, and they demand that we as viewers do more than simply take pleasure in how they look. These images require more of us. They ask viewers to play a role in their stories, and in so doing, to stand witness to their pain, pleasure, longing, and resilience–in short, to their humanity.” -Danielle Fox, Curator

INSTALLATION

Minnesota Street Projects, September 2025