What a difference a day may make!

One day this summer – Saturday, June 30, to be exact – could be the catalyst that rockets a few hundred locals out of their ordinary lives and into hometown stardom. On that day, residents of Lewiston, Auburn and the surrounding area are invited to participate in “One Day in L/A,” a unique communal experiment in art sponsored by Captive Elements Art House.

The basic mandate of the project is for residents of the Twin Cities, artists and amateurs alike, to go out and document something that day – on film, video, in prose or verse, mosaic, paint, skywriting or any other medium of their choosing – and then submit it for a group showing in the fall.

“One Day in L/A” is the brainchild of Captive Elements co-founder Kerry Landry, whose inspiration came from the film “Life in a Day,” a 2011 crowd-sourced documentary.

The 95-minute film features scenes from around the world, all captured over the course of a single day. The clips used in the film were whittled down from more than 80,000 entries submitted on YouTube by citizens of 192 different countries.

That idea really stuck with Landry. “I became so romantically involved with the concept of a single day. I wished I had known about it beforehand so I could have participated. Even if I didn’t get into the movie, it would have been amazing to be a part of that,” he said.

Since that boat had sailed, Landry did the next best thing. He created his own project in the same vein. While “Life in a Day” was global in scale, Landry wanted his variation on the theme to zoom in on one very specific area: a roughly 10-mile radius representing Lewiston, Auburn and the surrounding communities.

“With the world going global, we can forget that we’re a small community with a lot of similarities. It’s good to celebrate those similarities as well as the differences,” said Landry.

He chose June 30 for no other reason than that it’s the day after the June Art Walk, which will allow organizers to spread the word to the hundreds of people expected to flood Lisbon Street that night.

Landry’s hope is that “One Day in L/A” will receive a thousand or more submissions, from which he and the other judges will cull the best 200 to 300 for an installation at the Lisbon Street gallery. The show will run from Sept. 28 through Nov. 24, with sneak peek events on Sept. 26 and 27.

The “best” entries may not be those that show the most technical proficiency, though. Landry says the goal of the project is to tell a story using random components, and judges will be looking for any work that helps to tell a compelling story about life in L/A.

“We want amateurs — the everyday person who never uses a camera — to pick up a camera and create something that day. If it looks rough and homemade, that’s fine. If it’s really polished, that’s fine too,” said Landry.

“We want people to send anything. It could be a day at work, at a wedding, out washing the car, at a summertime barbecue. Whatever someone is doing that day, we want to see it. We’re looking for those submissions at like 3 in the morning. We don’t want submissions to be premeditated. Even though they might know they want to participate, we want them to be spontaneous.”

Submissions might be self-portraits, or portraits of friends, cityscapes, tight shots of specific objects, videos or stories about events or activities. The sky is literally the limit.

Landry doesn’t know just yet how the installation will be organized, but imagines a structure will begin to present itself as the judges sort through the entries. “Say we get 20 toilet bowl shots. We will narrow that down to six or seven, group them together, and that becomes part of the story we’re telling about that day. It becomes special because it’s about us. It becomes a time capsule, a snapshot of a day in our lives,” he said.

Landry said he’s not looking for pieces that are disturbing or sensationalist for this installation, though the judges won’t necessarily turn them away, either, if they feel they have some artistic merit and help to shape the story of a day in L/A.

Likewise, submissions featuring mature themes or exhibitionist content will receive extra scrutiny. If judges believe a potentially embarrassing or controversial submission should be included in the show, they will first ensure that the sender is of age, and that everyone who appears in the work has given their consent.

“You never know what people are going to send. There’s always going to be a certain percentage of people who want to push the envelope, and we’re not against that,” said Landry.

Though entries can be in any medium, submissions will only be accepted via email or text message, and should be received by the end of the day on June 30, the same day as the event. Filmmakers will have a little extra time – three to four days – to edit their work.

Those with a burning desire to immortalize the events of the day in such mediums as oil paints or sculpture will have to work quickly, and send in a scan or photograph of the original.

For the most part, though, organizers imagine entries will be photos, video or text captured on cell phones and sent off immediately.

“The technology is readily available. Just about everyone has a smartphone these days,” said Landry.

Those lacking inspiration can choose to respond to one of three prompts. Organizers haven’t decided on the final questions yet, but will announce them as the event draws closer. Answers can be in the form of a confessional video, but respondents may also choose to take a more creative approach, showing their answer, rather than telling it.

June 30 is still weeks away, but those interested in getting in a little practice before then can enter the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce’s “Pump up the Positive” video contest. Entrants can win up to $250 for making a video that accentuates some positive aspect of life in Lewiston-Auburn. For more information, or to enter, visit www.yplaa.com/2012/03/pump-up-the-positive/.

To keep up with news and announcements around “One Day in L/A,” visit www.lacaptives.com or become friends with Captive Elements on Facebook at www.facebook.com/captive.art.

The Basics

What is it?

“One Day in L/A” is a crowd-sourced art experiment. Participants are asked to submit a work of art – photo, video, or text – representing life in the Lewiston-Auburn area on a single day. The best entries will be included in a public installation at the Captive Elements Art House, 223 Lisbon St., in Lewiston.

Who can participate?

Anyone living or working within 10 miles of Lewiston or Auburn can submit work to the exhibition. All submissions will become the property of Captive Elements Art House.

When will all this happen?

Works must be created on June 30, 2012, and submitted the same day. Filmmakers will have a few extra days to edit their work, but should notify the judges that their submission is on the way.

When can we see the final product?

A curated exhibition of selected works will take place this fall, with a sneak-peek event on Sept. 26 and 27. The installation will be open to the public through Nov. 24.

How can I get involved?

Simple, just go out and make some art – snap a photo, take some video, write a story or a poem, create a comedy routine, anything artistic – about something that happens on June 30, then text your work to 1-207-577-4916 or email it to captive08@gmail.com.

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