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NYTimes LENS BLOG: A Timely Global Mosaic

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A different type of mosaic than that of Alexander the Great, but The New York Times LENS blog is putting together a global mosaic of photographs all to be taken at approximately 15:00 hours (U.T.C.) on May 2nd. Anybody can submit: amateurs, professionals, taken on your fancy DSLR or your cell phone. That’s 11am in New York City. How many will be hungover?

This project piqued my interest because it’s not about where you are from, but where you will BE. Underlying the project is a commentary on globalism, multiculturalism, technology, transportation and more. There has been some criticism that the project unfairly biases those parts of the world that will be daytime to the exclusion of East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand (where it will be 3am Monday morning). I hope there are some die-hard photographers in those parts of the world! Maybe a follow-up project where the Western world will be in darkness, thus enlightening the supposedly enlightened part of the world about life when they are sleep. A side-by-side comparison would be quite striking.

Nonetheless, a cool concept. And from an art perspective, I am curious what form it will take digitally. A literal mosaic of the globe? A slideshow? An interactive map? To participate:

The original LENS blog post
A time  converter to find out what time to take your picture
Submit your photo to submit.nytimes.com/moment

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