The One Million Masterpiece (abbreviated OMM

OMM

OMM may mean:* Aum* The Observer Music Monthly, the British monthly music magazine found in The Observer newspaper.* Obstacle Mobility Model * Of Mice and Men...

) is the largest artistic collaboration ever attempted. It is an ongoing project to produce a true piece of global artwork. As of October 16, 2007, 26,582 artists from 174 countries have participated, with $19,348.57 raised for charities worldwide.

The original project website was launched on July 14, 2006 by London based artist Paul Fisher. The site uses an Adobe Flash drawing tool to enable members to contribute images drawn on screen using a mouse or digipad, and an AJAX viewer which displays the whole artwork mosaic.

The website has developed and further social networking elements have been added. Artists can rate one another's contributions, communicate via messages and maintain a profile page.

Participation

Participation is free to anyone with access to the internet. Participants are each given a square where they can use a built-in drawing tool to create an image. (These individual images combined are what will make up the final project as a giant mosaic.) The project is open to, and intended for, all willing participants. One need not be artistically trained, in order to participate.

Celebrity Involvement

Celebrity contributors include Peaches Geldof

Peaches Geldof

Peaches Honeyblossom Geldof is a British journalist, television presenter and model.-Background:Geldof was born in London in 1989, the second daughter of Bob Geldof and Paula Yates. She is the granddaughter of Hughie Green. Her sisters are Fifi Trixibelle Geldof and Pixie Geldof...

, electric violinist Linzi Stoppard

Linzi Stoppard

-Biography:Linzi Stoppard started taking violin lessons at the age of four. She grew up in Surrey, and was trained under the Suzuki method.At the age of eighteen, Linzi Stoppard signed her first modeling contract, while still teaching and playing session violin...

, playwright Tom Stoppard

Tom Stoppard

Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...

, doctor and health commentator Miriam Stoppard

Miriam Stoppard

Miriam Stoppard OBE , is a British doctor, author, television presenter and agony aunt.- Early life and medical career :...

, Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Frankie Goes to Hollywood were a British dance-pop band popular in the mid-1980s. The group was fronted by Holly Johnson , with Paul Rutherford , Peter Gill , Mark O'Toole , and Brian Nash .The group's debut single "Relax" was banned by the BBC in 1984 while at number six in the charts and...

 frontman and artist Holly Johnson

Holly Johnson

Holly Johnson is an English artist, writer and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and former bassist for Big in Japan.- Big in Japan :...

, cult comedy icon Karl Pilkington

Karl Pilkington

Karl Pilkington is a British podcaster, author, television personality and former radio producer. He is best known for the Sky travel series, An Idiot Abroad, which was also presented in the United States on the Science Channel, in Canada on Discovery Channel and in Australia on One HD, and The...

, businessman and socialite Sebastien Sainsbury and Supremes band member Susaye Greene

Susaye Greene

Susaye Greene , is an African-American singer, best known for being the last official member to join Motown girl group The Supremes, remaining in the group during its final years of existence from 1976 to 1977.-Early life and career:...

.

Aims

Artistic and Charitable

The One Million Masterpiece aims to produce a piece of public artwork that will provide a snapshot of global society. It is intended that the final artwork be completed for unveiling on World Population Day

World Population Day

World Population Day is an annual event, observed on July 11, which seeks to raise awareness of global population issues. The event was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989...

 2008 and hopes to raise over $1 million for the projects charity partners Save the Children

Save the Children

Save the Children is an internationally active non-governmental organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries...

, Oxfam

Oxfam

Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives...

, ActionAid

ActionAid

ActionAid was founded in 1972 as a child sponsorship charity when 88 UK supporters sponsored 88 children in India and Kenya, the focus primarily being to provide children with an education. Global accounts are now reported in Euros and in 2007 and 2008 turnover was close to 180m Euros...

 and World Cancer Research Fund

World Cancer Research Fund

World Cancer Research Fund International is a not-for-profit association, established by royal decree in Belgium, with headquarters in London, UK...

.

World Record

The artwork also officially qualifies as a new world record. The previous official record for the most artists completing a single picture was held by the painting A Little Dab of Texas, designed by Jim Campbell of Brenham, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, USA. The picture was painted by 25,297 people and was completed in 3 years, 7 months on June 14, 1998.

Recurring Elements Within Image (Space Monkeys)

As the project is still underway, it is largely wondered whether the final image will have a thematic unity or if it will be a chaotic series of unrelated images. Many recurring elements can be found throughout the work. The most notable of these recurring elements are what have been dubbed "space monkeys." Space monkeys are small circular faces, typically cartoonish in nature and rudimentary in style. They are believed to have originated within Laura Dixon's picture -- but they soon began to appear in pictures throughout the project.

Other common recurring elements include: views of the earth from space, eyes, hearts, and flowers.

Video Replay of Drawing Process

The OMM site's adobe drawing tool includes a feature that enables a video replay of the drawing process for each picture. This feature has led several participants to not only create digital paintings, but also digital videos. Angeli Arndt uses this feature in her artwork entitled "I'm Always Changing For You," to show a human face changing over time. This video functionality adds a dimension to the project that is not noticeable when simply viewing still images of the project.

Exhibition

When completed The One Million Masterpiece will measure 80 metres in width and 31 meters in height and each individual contribution will be a 5cm by 5cm square. It is proposed that the final piece will be printed and unveiled in Central London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 on World Population Day

World Population Day

World Population Day is an annual event, observed on July 11, which seeks to raise awareness of global population issues. The event was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989...

 2008.

Controversy

There has been controversy within the OMM community regarding content of individual artworks. Some participants have complained that certain artworks are pornographic and/or obscene. Occasionally, a participant will demand that the artwork of another participant be deleted.

External links

• The One Million Masterpiece official project website

Sources

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5179568.stm Million artists charity bid - BBC
  BBC
  The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
  
  
• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=NIUB0ZIPQSEU3QFIQMFCFFWAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2007/05/07/nart07.xml Giant mosaic shapes up online - Daily Telegraph