Noah Kalina every day since January 11, 2000 til....

Via 3 Quarks, a four and a half minute video of a guy who has taken a picture of himself daily for six and a half years.

I almost missed it. Don't.

Self-portraits have a long and respectable artistic history. I see no reason the form shouldn't be adapted and continued in a more technological era. Some might call this work self-absorption or narcissism but I do not. I see it as artistic expression at its most intriguing. Is he a genius? I don't think so. But he has produced the video self-portrait which I appreciate for what it is.

Thanks to someone in the comments thread we have this link to a Philip Glass piece. Here is a glimpse of someone whom most people would admit to be a creative genius. Even those who don't like his music have to admit that he has the genius of a master when it comes to selling his product. After all, he pays the rent with his music. Quite well, I imagine. Check out this Wikipedia article on Philip Glass. Scroll down and look at all his work...

Can you imagine what it would be like to get a snapshot of one of the great composers at work? A three- or four minute- clip of Bach at the keyboard of one of the pipe organs of his day, with a behind the scenes shot of whoever was pumping the bellows...or Paganini tuning up to tear into a tarantella...