About
Take A Moment is a virtual exhibition made up of thousands of public uploads interspersed with a collection of portraits of some very famous faces by photographic artist, Ray Burmiston, all with their eyes closed. Helen Marshall, founder of the People’s Picture created this interactive mosaic for Take A Moment. Produced and conceptualised by Lara Journo-Leggatt, the purpose of the exhibition is to remind everyone about the importance of taking time for their mental health. Gigapixels are huge photographic images. They can be viewed on-screen in an interactive format, or as very large format prints with an incredible amount of detail. A gigapixel image contains one billion pixels, which is 1,000 times the size of a one-megapixel image, or equivalent to 1,000 megapixels.
Artwork
On 10th October 2024, World Mental Health Day, we unveiled the mosaic, both online here and in the National Portrait Gallery. Together we decided to use Ray’s portrait of Stephen Fry due to his fondness and support for the Take A Moment campaign from its genesis in 2020. Stephen has been a voice of encouragement and as a storyteller himself, using his master image seemed very fitting.
Images
Gigapixels
Moments
Gallery
Photographs were sent in by the public, which contained thousands of your uploaded moments. Take A Moment began as a virtual exhibition in 2020 where people could share their eyes closed selfies, take a moment together. The campaign has ended but you can still upload your eyes closed selfie, become part of the art, and view the mosaic.
Take A Moment began as a virtual exhibition in 2020 where people could share their eyes closed selfies, take a moment together, and see their photo within a virtual exhibition alongside some very well-known faces photographed by Ray Burmiston.
The Story
Take a Moment reminds everyone to close their eyes, disconnect and reconnect to find a moment of clarity. Many of the people who have uploaded their selfies have shared their stories and the exhibition serves as a poignant reminder that the simple act of taking a moment can help you realign to cope with everyday stresses.
Take A Moment was invited to display the collection, alongside public contributions in the spotlight space at the National Portrait Gallery. Curated by Lara Journo-Leggatt, the exhibition was part of a two-month partnership with Art of London.
Explore
The Take a Moment Photo Mosaic is also available to explore as a huge giga pixel image online in deep zoom. Zoom in and explore the collected eyes closed selfies of all those who took part from the comfort of your phone or armchair.
Gigapixels are huge photographic images. They can be viewed on-screen in an interactive format, or as very large format prints with an incredible amount of detail. A gigapixel image contains one billion pixels, which is 1,000 times the size of a one-megapixel image, or equivalent to 1,000 megapixels.
“It’s so important for our mental health to take a moment and this campaign serves as a powerful reminder to find the time to breathe, reconnect and regain a sense of clarity. Everyone should pause and take a step back from time to time – it’s something we can all do no matter who or where we are. I’m delighted to have been part of the genesis of the project and to have seen it evolve into something much bigger, offering space for people to reconnect, where members of the public can join hundreds of famous faces raising awareness for mental health. It’s one of life’s most pleasant contradictions – when we close our eyes we can see so much more.”
Stephen Fry | Actor and supporter of Take A Moment
Helen Marshall | Artist and Founder of the People’s Picture
The Take a Moment mosaic is a collaborative project by The People’s Picture / TAKE A MOMENT.