The Polaroid Project

Description

The Polaroid Project: At the Intersection of Art and Technology

The Polaroid Project: At the Intersection of Art and Technology. The definitive illustrated publication on the art and science of Polaroid.

In 1943 the American inventor and scientist Edwin H. Land was asked by his daughter why she couldn’t see immediately the photograph he had just taken. Within an hour, Land had conceived of the technology required to make this seemingly impossible demand a reality. So begins the story of Polaroid instant photography, an invention that revolutionized the taking and making of pictures. But Land’s creation was more than a groundbreaking scientific accomplishment; it also heralded an exciting new chapter of artistic expression. Through the efforts of thousands of photographers the world over, as well as the corporation’s own artist support programme, which provided many with materials, Polaroid would help shape the artistic landscape of the late twentieth century – and, indeed, up to the present day.

A wealth of illustrations showcase not only the myriad and often idiosyncratic approaches taken by photographers such as Ansel Adams, Robert Mapplethorpe, Ellen Carey and Chuck Close, but also a fascinating selection of the technical objects and artefacts that speak of the sheer ingenuity that lay behind the art.

William A. Ewing

William A. Ewing has been an author, lecturer, curator of photography and museum director for more than forty years. His many publications on photography include The Body, Landmark and Edward Burtynsky: Essential Elements.

Barbara Hitchcock

Barbara Hitchcock is a writer, curator and the former director of Cultural Affairs at Polaroid and curator of the Polaroid Collections, Massachusetts.

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