The Art of the Personal Project is a crucial element to let potential buyers see how you think creatively on your own. I am drawn to personal projects that have an interesting vision or that show something I have never seen before. In this thread, I’ll include a link to each personal project with the artist statement so you can see more of the project. Please note: This thread is not affiliated with any company; I’m just featuring projects that I find. Please DO NOT send me your work. I do not take submissions.
Today’s featured artist: Ron Haviv & Lost Rolls America
Do you have an old roll of film lying around—in the back of a drawer or tucked in a shoebox? Wonder what’s on it? How long has it been sitting there—5 years? 10 years? 20 years? Longer? Lost Rolls America opens the magical reencounter with the past to anyone who possesses unprocessed film rolls.
This project celebrates the role that photographs play in shaping the construction of memory. Imagine the old snapshot of a relative that brings back memories of family gatherings; or the image of a younger version of yourself wearing a shirt you haven’t seen, let alone thought about, in over a decade. The Lost Rolls America archive combines photos from the past with present-day recollections inspired by the found images.
The archive is a visual repository of America’s past: from the west coast to east coast; from post-World War II immigration, a 1969 Vietnam War protest to the aftermath of September 11th 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.
At a moment when the American landscape often feels divided, Lost Rolls America reveals the myriad ways the country is in fact united. Certain themes carry across the photos, regardless of race, gender, age, and geographical location: the value of family, the innocence of childhood,the memories of lost loved ones, and the exuberance of travel, to name a few.
With partners FujiFilm, PhotoWings, and Photoshelter, the project invites participants to provide one to two rolls of film, which is developed and scanned free of charge and made available back to them. Participants then privately choose one to two images and in a small write-up, explore the meaning of the photo and the significance of viewing a piece of their personal, sometimes lost past. Sincere and emotional, the responses are evocative words that speak to us all. The archive is an amazing testament to how much photography plays a role in remembering our own pasts.
To participate: click here
To see more of this project, www.lostrollsamerica.com
Original story on this project was a feature by Jonathan Blaustien
APE contributor Suzanne Sease currently works as a consultant for photographers and illustrators around the world. She has been involved in the photography and illustration industry since the mid 80s. After establishing the art-buying department at The Martin Agency, then working for Kaplan-Thaler, Capital One, Best Buy and numerous smaller agencies and companies, she decided to be a consultant in 1999. She has a Twitter feed with helpful marketing information because she believes that marketing should be driven by brand and not by specialty. Follow her at @SuzanneSease. Instagram
Success is more than a matter of your talent. It’s also a matter of doing a better job presenting it. And that is what I do with decades of agency and in-house experience.
