Movieland â€?Las Vegas, Nevada 1974

Curator: Oh, this gives me the shivers in the best possible way. It's like a dream you can't quite shake. Editor: This is Dennis Feldman's "Movieland – Las Vegas, Nevada," a gelatin silver print in the Harvard Art Museums collection. It's a black and white photograph of the sign for a now-defunct wax museum. Curator: There's such a poignancy in capturing these relics of our collective fantasy life. It’s a bit haunted, isn’t it? The harsh lights, the vacant lot... Editor: It really evokes the idea of fabricated realities—the commodification of fame and the spectacle, set against a backdrop of American consumer culture. The vacant lot emphasizes the ephemerality of these attractions. Curator: Exactly! It’s this beautiful graveyard of images. And I love how Feldman treats the light. It’s not just illuminating; it’s almost interrogating. Editor: Yes, it’s a commentary on the constructed nature of celebrity and how it’s presented and consumed. The work reminds us to question the narratives we’re fed. Curator: It’s funny, I look at this and I just feel intensely nostalgic. A bittersweet ache for something I never even experienced. Editor: Right, which speaks to the power of images. Even ones capturing illusions still touch upon something very real about our desires and cultural values. Curator: Well, what a melancholy trip down memory lane that was! Editor: Indeed. It is a stark reminder that nothing lasts forever, even manufactured dreams.