Although there were processes Polaroid involving negatives, for most people the brand is associated with unique prints, a symbol of the once-in-a-lifetime moment being captured. Several world-renowned artists shaped the aesthetics of an era through their use of instant photography.
There has been a lot of participation in the trial, with cameras ranging from the classic SX-70 at Polaroids large format that could be used to create abstract images, interior details, street scenes, landscapes, still lifes and portraits. The pop artist's affinity with the Polaroid of Andy Warhol it should come as no surprise: instant photography fit perfectly into the ephemeral worlds of consumer culture and fashion that he moved into and helped define.
While Richard Hamilton retouched his picturesque Polaroids, Dennis Hopper used Polaroid to research his films, for example in the Colors series, in which he documented the scene of graffiti and street art in Los Angeles in the 80s.
The artists Anne and Bernhard Blume they used instant photos not as individual snapshots, but often as part of a larger series of self-portraits by performance artists. In its artist support program, Polaroid has promoted the work of many artists by equipping them with cameras and film. The exchange between artists and the Polaroid company formed the basis for the spectacular and rapidly growing Polaroid collection, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Amsterdam.
When the physical Edwin herbert land founded the Polaroid company in Boston, Massachusetts nearly 80 years ago, there wasn't a photo in the world that you could get in your hands, on your table, or in the fastest photo album. The brand's popularity spread rapidly and even achieved a certain degree of cult status, and today it represents a rich chapter in both photographic and cultural history.
The desire for the once-in-a-lifetime moment, the pleasure in the tactile quality of the image as an object, and a certain nostalgia in the face of the daily deluge of electronic images, all these factors have given instant photography a new irresistible appeal, even for the younger generation in the era of digitization.
The exhibition The Polaroid Project, scheduled from 7 July to 23 September 2018, will be inaugurated next Friday 6 July at the Amerika Haus, Hardenbergstrasse 22-24, 10623 Berlin.
Image: C/O Berlin Foundation – Guy Bourdin, Charles Jourdan 1978, C-Print , 88,9 x 116,8 cm © The Guy Bourdin Estate 2017 / Courtesy of Louise Alexander Gallery
