Photoville

“Lost Rolls America” is a new and unique kind of Americana archive. In the age of image saturation, this archive slows the pace of our instantaneous digital world and commemorates the role that analog photos have played in all of our lives.

Comprising photos from the broad American public, the archive features images from old rolls of film that have been set aside and forgotten. Processing those lost rolls today allows for a magical re-encounter with the past.

The archive is a visual repository of America’s past: from West Coast to East Coast; from a 1969 Vietnam War protest to the aftermath of September 11 and beyond; from special occasions to mundane moments, all that constitutes daily life, captured on film but then often forgotten. The pictures offer poignant and even surprising glimpses into which images are most meaningful to America’s visual past.

The “Lost Rolls America” archive is an amazing testament to how much photography plays a role in remembering our own pasts.

Organizations

  • Lost Rolls America (LRA)

    Lost Rolls America (LRA)

    Lost Rolls America (LRA) was founded by award-winning photographer Ron Haviv. The project editors are Robert Peacock and Lauren Walsh, with design by Roger Gorman. LRA is supported by FujiFilm, PhotoWings and PhotoShelter.

    This project celebrates the role that photographs play in shaping the construction of memory. Walsh, a professor at NYU and expert in memory and photography, explains, “The submitted photos invite us into others’ lives. In many cases, we can recognize aspects of ourselves in others’ pasts. For instance: That image makes me reflect on my own family; or that child reminds me of myself; or I took a similar vacation. It’s eye-opening to see how much we have in common through found photos.”

    The archive, which exists permanently online and is now on display for the first time at Photoville, demonstrates the remarkable power of photography, even amateur photography, in documenting and recuperating moments from the past.

Lost Rolls America

 archive : 2017

Featuring: Various Artists

Curated by: Ron Haviv

Presented by: Lost Rolls America (LRA)
  • Lost Rolls America (LRA)

Locations

View Location Details Download a detailed map of this location Brooklyn Bridge Park – Emily Warren Roebling Plaza

1 Water St
Brooklyn, NY 11201

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This website was made possible thanks to the generous support and partnership of Photowings