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Clever ways to destroy history

Category: Preservation

Published Date

Written by Randy Garbin

Update 3/4/10: After further consideration, I've decided that I erred in the use of Ms. Vance-Kuss's photo. For that I apologize. I do, however, stand by my comments about the practice they depicted.
Update: Ms. Vance-Kuss has responded to my commentary here.

I came across this Flickr post and this accompanying photograph by way of a LifeHacker mention, and soon became pretty horrified at what I saw. A "clever" photographer/collector named Jacki Vance-Kuss had found troves of old Kodachrome slides and decided it'd be neat-o to make a curtain out of them and hang them over her windows. Ms. Vance-Kuss gives us an example of her handiwork in this photo which she has shared with the world via Flickr, Makezine, and Lifehacker.

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I've bought and found such troves as well, though not nearly as many as I wish. I enjoy them for not only their imagery, but also for their potential historic value. In a pile of images, you simply never know when you might be the owner of an important clue that would solve a mystery, end a controversy, or simply give inspiration in my daily work as a designer.

Hanging them out in the sun, as this Ms. Vance-Kuss proposes, may seem cute and fun, but before too long, the practice destroys the image forever. I'm happy to admit that this might seem like a good, cheap way to simulate the effects of a stained glass window, but it's easily accomplished with your own roll of slides exposed to mundane images in your own back yard.

So, people, please, if you come across a pile of old photos and/or slides, and you don't want them or would like to see them in the hands who might really appreciate them for what they are, by all means, send them along to me. I will take care of them and put them to good use.

Read the thread here.