kodak city by catherine leutenegger explores the desolate face of an american dream

kodak city by catherine leutenegger explores the face of the american dream
image © catherine leutenegger

eastman kodak, the company responsible for pioneering photographic film from the 1880s through the 1960s, could have once dominated the digital imaging empire; the very first electronic camera was born in one of kodak’s labs. rather than innovating on a promising technology, they fell into a tailspin that resulted in their eventual bankruptcy. once central to photography but now irrelevant to the industry, the deserted state of the ‘big yellow’ headquarters in rochester, new york are documented by swiss photographer catherine leutenegger in ‘kodak city’. the abandoned landscapes featured in the photo essay contrast the promise of an american dream, ‘like pickling moments in formaldehyde – a conveyor of messages and emotions in an environment that is dominated by the virtual.’

image © catherine leutenegger 

image © catherine leutenegger 

image © catherine leutenegger 

image © catherine leutenegger 

image © catherine leutenegger 

image © catherine leutenegger 

image © catherine leutenegger 

image © catherine leutenegger 

image © catherine leutenegger