Made In Heaven
Her Instagram is an extension of her practice, a Cindy Sherman-style pseudo-performance piece that’s equally aggressive and surreal: Taylor, donning a bleached blonde wig and white bikini; standing in the desert in a bodycon and eye patch; deep-throating pickles in Renaissance-style dress. In a recurring series, her long, blonde hair is clipped to the top of her head and her eyebrows have been replaced by small cursive letters reading “eye” and “brow.” Speaking in a British accent, Taylor stares at the camera and repeats, “Are you taking the piss or what?” Of course, Stefan appears in many of these posts, not just as Taylor’s romantic partner, but as a collaborator. And this creative partnership won’t come to a messy, public end. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, we now pronounce you husband and wife.
OFFICE—How do you define partnership?
TAYLOR MARIE PRENDERGAST—Two humans coming together to make the haul of life more enjoyable, inspir - ing and encouraging.
O—How do you keep your work and creative practice separate, and/or connected?
STEFAN ROBERT MEIER—We have our own studios in the same building, same floor. We dislike separation.
O—Do you critique each other’s work?
TMP—Yes, all the time. Stefan gets upset when I give him crits. I, on the other hand, love it. Chew me up. Spit me out.
O—How did you guys meet?
TMP—We met through Jason Al-taan at David LaCha - pelle’s Studio. It was a Lana Del Rey shoot and Stefan was drawing at a table staring directly at me for a long time.
O—Who crushed first?
BOTH—Stefan.
O—What was the first thing you noticed about each other?
TMP—His big white teeth.
SRM—Her ball-shaped head.
O—Who asked who out?
TMP—Stefan asked me out, and it took him a year to get me to say yes.
O—When did you realize you were in love?
TMP—We had been friends for a year. One day, he put on one of my dresses and was walking around pretending to be on a serious business call. I laughed so hard and found it shockingly handsome, and realized in that moment that he was the man I wanted to spend my life with. So, I kissed him for the first time that night.
SRM—Falling in love with Taylor for me was a grad - ual process. I was very attracted to her physically and mentally from the moment we met. We spent a lot of time together and that attraction grew into something that I knew was more permanent. It was something very natural – true love.
O—What are your rituals when it comes to work? To your partnership?
SRM—Taylor warms up in the studio with 45 minutes of left-handed drawing.
TMP—Stefan goes to the studio every day around 11AM after drinking large quantities of coffee.
BOTH—We watch shows and pull pranks on each other —studio time takes up most of the weekdays. We have to go on an adventure once a week.
O—What makes you feel most inspired?
TMP—Looking at other artists who have a similar visual language, visiting museums and traveling. Right now, Joyce Pensato is my biggest inspiration. Making a piece of work that hits right makes me feel defiant.
O—Where would you like to be touched more often?
TMP—My feet. SRM—Not my face.
O—Do you consider yourself a WEB3 couple?
SRM—Working on it! The Heart Project has been a really exciting venture in our relationship. Stay tuned for something in the near future with Taylor’s dogs in the Metaverse!
O—What do you want to make people feel?
TMP—Empathy, confidence, strength.
O—What bothers you about Taylor?
TMP—How often she changes the sheets.
O—What is your favorite quality about her?
SRM—Taylor is actually the funniest person I’ve ever met. She is very caring and considerate. She is an actual genius and we have great conversations about art and life. Her laugh is my favorite thing about her. She laughs a lot – I love that.
O—What bothers you about Stefan?
SRM—His driving.
O—What is your favorite quality about him?
TMP—I love his sense of humor, how much we are able to laugh together, his smell, his dance moves, his big genuine smile, how supportive he is... Stefan is a wonderful listener, he is so considerate and wants me to truly feel taken care of, loved and admired. And I love how much we are able to talk, his passion for art, history and the world. He just never gets old! Every morning I wake up and look at him and thank god I get to spend another day with my best friend.
O—How do you express your anger?
TMP—I usually talk about the issue with friends, but recently, I kick walls.
O—Who is the alpha in the relationship?
BOTH—We go back and forth.
O—What’s something you used to believe about relation- ships, but no longer do?
TMP—That all men cheat.
SRM—That all women poo.
O—What color best matches Taylor’s personality? Stefan’s? SRM—Yellow.
TMP—Clear.
O—How would you describe your relationship?
SRM—We are a team and our relationship is built on elevating each other and helping each other achieve our dreams. Taylor has been a guiding force in my life since we met.
O—Are you planning on having kids?
BOTH—Not right now. We are enjoying our freedom together.
O—What song reminds you of each other?
BOTH— “I’m On Fire” by Bruce Springsteen.
O—Most important item in the bedroom—material or metaphorical?
TMP—His hands.
SRM— Taylor.
O—If you could have any musician write a love song for you, who would it be?
BOTH—SOPHIE.
O—What is the sexiest smell? Taste? Texture?
TMP— Linseed, burrata, linen.
SRM—Smell: Taylor. Taste: a San Diego burrito. Texture: slime.
O—What's your fantasy?
SRM—Standing in a glass box high in the sky holding hands in a fart bomb cloud while we are contemplating the mysteries of the universe.
TMP—I hope we die at the exact same time holding hands. In a fart cloud.
O—Taylor, Do you take Stefan to be your lawfully wedded husband?
TMP—I DO.
O—Stefan, do you take Taylor to be your lawfully wedded wife?
SRM—I DO.
