Instant: The Story of Polaroid

Arts, Entertainment, Media and Entrepreneurship Affinity

"Instant photography at the push of a button!" During the 1960s and '70s, Polaroid was the coolest technology company on earth. Like Apple, it was an innovation machine that cranked out one must-have product after another. Led by its own visionary genius founder, Edwin Land, Polaroid grew from a 1937 start-up into a billion-dollar pop-culture phenomenon.

Christopher Bonanos, A&S '90, is the author of Instant: The Story of Polaroid. He will tell the remarkable tale of Land's one-of-a-kind invention-from Polaroid's first instant camera to hit the market in 1948, to its meteoric rise in popularity and adoption by artists such as Ansel Adams, Andy Warhol, and Chuck Close, to the company's dramatic decline into bankruptcy in the late '90s and its unlikely resurrection in the digital age. 'Instant' is a vibrant story of American technology, ingenuity and a cautionary business tale about companies that lose their creative edge. Christopher Bonanos is a senior editor at New York magazine, where he writes and edits culture and technology stories. He has also written for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and Slate.

The event will be held at the brand new Impossible Project Space in New York City. It is the first Impossible shop in the USA and it is Impossible's American heart, center and starting point for all passionate lovers of analog Instant Photography. Located in a spacious 5th floor loft in a SoHo landmark building, this unique space features a retail space with all kinds of Polaroid cameras, films, accessories and books as well as gallery space. This is a fascinating venue for a fascinating discussion.

Food and drink will be provided.