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” 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.
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