"We are but a flash in time.  Our cultures were here long before us and they will remain here long after we are gone...if we keep the dream alive."  --Dennis Manarchy

Butterflies & Buffalo: Tales of American Culture is a national artistic documentary project led by photographer Dennis Manarchy to capture the history and enduring spirit of our nation's most extraordinary cultures through the largest film camera in the world on a nationwide expedition.

Thanks to a team of over 30 people offering their time, labor, materials, and unwavering support, we have just completed the construction of this incredible machine - a 35-foot film camera with the ability to capture portrait images on 6-foot film negatives with detail of over 1,000x greater than digital technology. It is the unmistakable centerpiece of the project and a tribute to nearly 200 years of photography...but the most critical part of the mission is yet to begin.  With your help, the camera and our team will begin a journey across America that will forever preserve the valuable history of our diverse cultural heritage.  Over 50 cultures...each telling their own story in their own words.

Check out the preview of our behind-the-scenes construction of this amazing camera:

The camera is on display now through October 31st in downtown Chicago at Two North Riverside Plaza.  Come visit us and check it out! 

About the artist...Dennis Manarchy

Inspired by the dramatic photo-realist paintings of Chuck Close and the unprecedented documentary journey of Edward Curtis, Dennis Manarchy's dream to capture the spirit of America began at an early age while studying at the RIT School of Photography. He apprenticed with legendary photographer, Irving Penn - a master of portraiture - and later served as Lieutenant in the Vietnam War.  Upon his return to civilian life, Dennis met a Lumbee Indian Chief who recognized he was a little "screwed up." The Chief invited Dennis to live and work with the Tribe to readjust.  It was the most pivotal experience of his life and it instilled a deeply rooted appreciation for our nation's rural cultures. Dennis' award-winning artistic and commercial career has spanned over 3 decades. For more of Dennis' work visit www.Manarchy.com.  

Why is this project so important? 

We've come to a tipping point.  A language is lost every 2 weeks across the globe.  Some cultures are evolving, others are being lost...but they each hold valuable history, traditions, and heritage that must be documented before they are gone forever.  The world is going digital, and film is nearly a thing of the past.  Today's "cultural programming" is reality TV which poorly represents the true magic of our diverse people. It's time to take a step back and capture the honest beauty and true history of our nation in a new and exciting way.  This is a tribute to film photography and a celebration of cultures.  The images below were test shots taken in the studio with the prototype 35-foot film camera that Dennis built by hand.  They represent the camera's incredible capabilities, but the new camera allows us to travel...and now we can finally visit these cultures in their own environments.

This journey will allow us to collect a vast amount of material - both film photography and video documentary footage - and we will share it with the world.  It will provide us with the opportunity to share our camera and technology with the people we visit, and in return we will gain a greater understanding of the history and customs across our nation.  Much of the historical significance of our cultures is widely unknown to the general public.  This project will bring awareness to the folklore, origins, and customs that these individuals proudly maintain.  Our collection of material will become the basis for future educational materials, documentaries, music...a collection that will represent who we truly are as a nation.

Where are we now?

Over the past 10 years the project has been grown by our shoe-strings: 

• Dennis has built by hand 3 prototype film cameras...each better than the last... representing thousands of hours of testing, lighting, hundreds of lenses, and immeasurable experimentation in film development techniques for this ultra-large-format film.
• Over 35 test photos have been taken on 6-foot film negatives with the prototype camera - Tuskegee Airmen, Gullah, Cajuns, Navajo, Ojibwa...all to research and refine the camera's capabilities, despite it being stuck in the studio.
• A select number of documentary interviews have been conducted.
• The itinerary has been outlined for over 35 locations across the United States (the map below outlines a partial list of the featured destinations...the list continues to grow).
• People across the Midwest have joined together offering their expertise and time to see this project move to the next level.
• AND NOW...THE NEW 35-FOOT CAMERA HAS BEEN CONSTRUCTED.

Why Film? And why so big?

"There is a beauty and honesty to film that cannot be replicated.  It's the purest form of the art.  It's delicate, sensitive, raw...and the process requires absolute precision.   But once that image appears and you witness the results of all of the effort, it's then when you remember why you shoot with film."  --Dennis Manarchy

"This camera takes these people and gives them a certain level of dignity...and it puts it on an epic scale.  You look into their eyes and you can feel something." 

How will your contributions help?