A Day In The World

On May 15^th 2012, ADay.org asked people around the world to pick up their cameras to photograph what was close to them on a single day. The response proved phenomenal and the initiative became the most comprehensive documentation of a single day in human history through photography. Of over 100,000 photographs taken and submitted, from 165 countries, 1000 of the best have been selected to appear in an astonishing new book – A Day In the World – published on Monday 15^th October 2012, documenting quite how extraordinary one seemingly regular day can be.

The ADay project is the largest collaborative structured photographic event ever undertaken, supported by many of the world’s leading public figures, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Jan Eliasson (Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations), Martti Ahtisaari (Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and former President of Finland) and Richard Branson. ADay.org was initiated by the Expressions of Humankind Foundation in order to inspire creative reflections on humanity, by experiencing global perspectives.

The photographs in A Day In The World convey sharp juxtapositions between different geographical regions and economic positions – one image pictures a Canadian man, comfortably tucked up in bed with his tablet computer and smartphone, whilst another shows homeless men asleep on the pavements of Dhaka, a sad consequence of rapid population growth – reflecting the vast chasm between rich and poor. Similarly, many people chose to take pictures of the food they consumed on May 15^th, showing the diverse range in diet around the world, from health food to fast food and surplus to scarcity. It is also possible to compare different styles of architecture globally – affected by wealth, population size and culture – from the sky-scraping Petronas Towers in central Kuala Lumpa, to colourful, old wooden houses in Yekaterinburg in Russia, to the shanty settlements of Rio de Janeiro.

Alongside each photograph featured in A Day In The World are relevant details, including the name of the photographer, a description of what the picture is showing and its geographical location. The photography shows a great variety of situations and subject matter, as well as technical specifics – from small pictures snapped on mobile phones, to larger, more professional compositions – all with their own sincere poignancy and resonance.

Images are grouped into three themes: Home, Work, and Connections. The main themes act as umbrellas for a series of subcategories, to which the photographers were required to link their images:

• Home: Room, Food, My Wall, My View, Treasure, Junk and Housing & Surroundings
• Work: Tools, Teams, Commute, My Job, Power, Purpose and Unemployment
• Connections: Generations, Community, Technology, Leisure, Identity, Society, Energy, Conflict, Care, Fear and Elements & Nature

A Day In The World includes a foreword by Sir Richard Branson, and an introduction by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

A Day in the World is the perfect Christmas coffee table gift, an unparalleled resource for students of sociology, and ideal for all those interested in photography and the world around them.