A Minute of Your Time: 12:19 Project [Art Preview]

Slurping up tortilla soup during your lunch break or biking to the video store to return a couple of movies may seem like mundane moments, but a team of artists are depicting everyday moments as art in a new unique exhibit and online audio and video gallery, The 12:19 Project. The exhibit is on display at the Austing Musuem of Art and part of this week's Fusebox Festival.

The library of audio and video recordings captured by volunteer contributors provides a glimpse into the lives of hundreds of people and invites others to discover the beauty of ordinary moments. In order to build the project people are encouraged to record a single minute of their day from 12:19 to 12:20 (a.m. or p.m. is not specified) and submit that moment to an online library. Collectively, those minutes will be put on display during the exhibit, which runs through May 3. The images and sounds also will be available online.

After the exhibit is displayed in Austin, the creators hope to take it to other cities around the country. The project was conceived by two theater artists -- Ron Berry, the artistic director of Austin's Refraction Arts and creator of The Fuse Box Festival, and Phil Soltanoff a New-York based actor. Scott Wilcox, who is the chief technical officer for SXSW has also joined the team in order to drive the technology component of the project.

The chosen time (12:19pm) is arbitrary, the creators say. The only real meaning is that it was the time when they thought up the project. Their main intent is just to capture a sliver of time in as many lives as possible. To hear more about their motivations check out a special meet the creators talk at the AMOA on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. To submit your minute to project visit the 12:19 Website or call 512 524-9772 to record a minute over the phone.

The 12:19 Project will be on display at AMOA Downtown through May 3.