Photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre have documented abandoned early 20th-century movie theatres across the United States, capturing the haunting beauty of their decline. These once-grand cinemas, converted from 1920s music halls and theatres, have been left as hybrid ruins due to the rise of television, streaming platforms, and individualized media consumption. The work is exhibited at Kyotographie 2026 in Japan until 17 May.
This documentation matters because it preserves the cultural and architectural legacy of these landmarks, which were central to communal entertainment in the 20th century. The photographs highlight how shifts in media technology—from television to smartphones—have transformed public spaces and social habits, serving as a visual elegy for a lost era of shared cinematic experience.