Millennium Camera: Capturing a 1000 Year Exposure of the Arizona Desert’s Transformation

The Millennium Camera, an art/science project by experimental philosopher Jonathon Keats at the University of Arizona, aims to take the world’s slowest photo over a thousand years. Designed as a pinhole camera, it uses a copper cylinder with a gold sheet and a tiny hole, exposing a light-sensitive surface coated in rose madder pigment over the Arizona desert.

The controlled light exposure will create a millennium-long photo, showcasing changes and impermanence over time. While the camera’s survival until the 31st century is uncertain, its purpose is to inspire present and future generations to contemplate the future and take action. Additional Millennium Cameras are planned for different locations worldwide.