Polaroids Are Time Travel
Polaroid Week Sets in Motion the Way Back Ride
How much fun it was to dig out the old Polaroid camera and make a point of taking at least one instant picture a day and throwing it into the group pool during the biannual “Polaroid Week” (also known as ‘Roid Week, and #polaroidweek, too). There’s something about carrying around that bulky hunk of plastic and parts and magic, lifting to eye level, pulling the over-sized button inward, and hearing the machinery zing out that unmistakable plastic-sheened, card-stock times three, greyed-out photograph, the image captured slowly, slowly, slowly making its way to being realized in color hues and grain that belong solely to the instant film of old. I took some photos at a roller rink during Polaroid Week (see below), and it occurred to me that roller rinks are time machines. Something about going round and round and hearing Hall & Oates no matter what music the DJ is playing. But Polaroids — those are time travel.
Day 1: Waiting for the film to develop (no shaking!), waiting for the train.
Day 2: Summer in the city, day and night.
Day 3: Down on the street, at night, in the city; up on high, daylight, looking out on the city.
Day 4: Up six flights, through this door, rooftop view of this and the city and beyond.
Day 5: Waiting, and waiting, lights in the distance, a rush of wind and arrival, doors open, step in, sit down (hopefully), and zoom and away.
Day 6 (1/2): Whatever music they were playing at the roller rink, we heard Hall & Oates, and also, Pat Benatar.
Day 6 (2/2): Lace up the skates, groove. Roller rinks are time machines. Fall down, further back.
Day 7: Sunset light on the blooming green of a new spring. Polaroid Week Spring 2016 comes to a close.
The next Polaroid Week is slated for Sunday, October 16th, through Friday, October 21.
