Eliot Dudik’s series “Paradise Road” take you on a trip in eponymous roads. The American photographer and book artist explores, in his work, the connection between culture, memory, history and place. The inspiration for the series in question take source in an image of a Paradise Road street sign, slipped into his consciousness, during a period of semi-lucidness. “During these periods of semi-lucidness hundreds of images and thoughts surface, but this one shot me out of bed because of its relation to the anxiety I was feeling at the time regarding my future and the path I was working so hard to forge”, he explains.

 After that, Dudik started mapping out every road in the United States called Paradise Road to picture them, and began with the first one he seen. “ I generally make one 8×10 film photograph on each Paradise Road I visit as a way of trying to understand and/or create some understanding of a cross-section of American culture and to produce a metaphorical survey of American happiness, security, sanctuary, longing, and unfortunately, defeat in this particular changing and imbalanced time”, he explains. Adding to his current art work, Eliot Dudik is launching a film grant: the Film Photo Award. It consists on a biannual film grant that provides a large amount of Kodak Professional Film to three different photographers, twice a year.  Photographers submit their projects on a website  during the two submission periods, and 3 projects are chosen each session for film support.