Let’s start with this quote from Metafilter – by someone named krippledkonscious.
“I had to think a little bit about why this is so stirring. This is not a technical achievement, nor an endeavor that requires an inaccessible skill set. This is one thing, done once a day. Something so spare and ordinary, just taken to extraordinary lengths. A simple thing: whatever struck his fancy on a given day – just capture one thing on film. Simple.”
The story that you have probably found by now is the tale of Jamie Livingston, a man who took a photograph every day from March 31, 1979 till the day he died October25, 1997. It chronicles his life and eventual demise – well worth looking seeking out.
A tip of the hat to: http://onlytheblogknowsbrooklyn.typepad.com
Not to diminish Jamie’s work but far more interesting (at least for painters & conceptual artists) is Roman Opalka, who has been painting numbers since 1965:
“Artist Roman Opalka has painted “time” exclusively since 1965. Not using symbols as
clocks or calendar dates, he paints a sequence of numbers to represent the passing of
time. The canvas size, height and style of digits never changes. Opalka has now passed
the five million mark with over 200 paintings, spending more than half of his life on this
single oeuvre. It will be completed only when he dies. He records the numbers as he
counts in Polish, his mother tongue, and photographs his face at the end of each day’s
painting session. The number paintings, photos, sound and texts are all elements Opalka
uses for his installations on time. The name of this art work is: OPALKA 1965/ 1-oo.”
Link: http://www.jointadventures.org/opalka/index.htm