Bookshop Exhibition: Polaroid Project
1 December 2009 - 31 January 2010.

The Bookshop is celebrating one of the most iconic products of the twentieth century.

The last instant film manufactured by Polaroid was produced in 2008, with an expiry date of October 2009. To mark its passing national newspaper The Observer gave eight leading contemporary photographers Polaroid film and cameras for a day - Harry Borden, Nan Goldin, Tom Hunter, Mary McCartney, Martin Parr, Rankin, Lord Snowdon and Sam Taylor-Wood. The resulting images exhibited in the Bookshop have the intimate immediacy that the Polaroid medium is so loved for and are unique prints, some of which are available to purchase.

You can download descriptions of each of the photographers polaroid projects here: Polaroid Project

However the expiry date of the last Polaroid film is not the end of the story. The Impossible Project – a group of dedicated Polaroid enthusiasts – plan to manufacture new Polaroid format film in early 2010.  As a result, Polaroid will begin to manufacture its instant cameras again.

The Photographers’ Gallery Bookshop is one of the few remaining places selling a wide range of Polaroid products and also provided the film for the Polaroid Project. In 2010 we will be one of the first places in the world to sell the new film and cameras, helping to ensure this beloved, instant photography remains available for future generations.

This exhibition is presented in association with The Observer.