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    Back to Design and Architecture

    Design and Architecture

    What Does the Instagram Sale Mean for Retro Culture?

    Last week saw an astounding billion dollars being paid for an app that can give a retro look to camera-phone photos.  Instagram , a small startup, was bought by tech behemoth Facebook . Charles Phoenix, a  cult figure who collects and builds performances around actual retro photos of Americana, helps to process the cultural significance of the…

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    By Frances Anderton • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    Last week saw an astounding billion dollars being paid for an app that can give a retro look to camera-phone photos. Instagram, a small startup, was bought by tech behemoth Facebook. Charles Phoenix, a cult figure who collects and builds performances around actual retro photos of Americana, helps to process the cultural significance of the Instagram deal. Charles has a few shows coming up next month like his Big Retro Slide Show at MOCA Grand Avenue and his Disneyland Tour of Downtown Los Angeles, and he gives his thoughts on Instagram and how the trend for retrofying snapshots compares with what he does.

    Frances' vintage Bugs Bunny sweater from a flea market photographed by Charles Phoenix with Instagram "Earlybird" filter.

    Top image: Photograph of Charles Phoenix by Chris Haston with Instagram "Nashville" filter.

    The full episode

    4 of 4
    A Bridge to the Imagination
    1. 0:00Redesigning LA's Sixth Street Viaduct
    2. 10:23Design Lessons from Caine's Arcade
    3. 14:20Contemporary Updates of Modern Masters
    4. 19:05What Does the Instagram Sale Mean for Retro Culture?You’re reading this
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Frances Anderton

      architecture critic and author

    • KCRW placeholder

      Charles Phoenix

      Author and pop-culture humorist

      Culture

    The full episode

    4 of 4
    A Bridge to the Imagination
    1. 0:00Redesigning LA's Sixth Street Viaduct
    2. 10:23Design Lessons from Caine's Arcade
    3. 14:20Contemporary Updates of Modern Masters
    4. 19:05What Does the Instagram Sale Mean for Retro Culture?You’re reading this
    Back to Design and Architecture