Alberto Frigo is a man on a mission – for the past 11 years the 36-year old Italian has been photographing every single object that his right hand has touched. And he plans on continuing the bizarre project until he reaches retirement in the year 2040.

Frigo said that he had been fascinated about the idea of recording his life many years before he began the project. He tried embedded cameras for a while, but found the experience frustrating. Writing a journal did not appeal to him either, because the writing eventually fades.

The idea finally came to him in September 2003, and he started photographing every object his right hand came into contact with. Soon, he got so addicted to it that he simply couldn’t stop. And now it’s become a habit. “At this stage, my left hand now naturally photographs my right hand using objects without me really thinking about it.”

Photo: Myrthe Nagtzaam

On average, Frigo photographs at least 76 objects a day, and every photo is documented on his website 2004-2040.com. Some of these pictures were exhibited at Science Gallery Dublin’s latest exhibition, in a project titled ‘Images of the artifact used by the main hand’. It consists of a series of photographic panels with thumbnails of Frigo’s photos in chronological order, dating back to 2009.

Photo: Alberto Frigo

Over the years, Frigo insists that the project has given him a goal in life. But he does realize that he has a greater purpose in life, so he wants to eventually stop. “The idea is to finish up when I’m 60,” he said. “Then I’ll have over a million photos which, all things going to plan, will combine into one giant perfect cube containing my entire life.”

Photo: Alberto Frigo

Lifelogging – recording every single moment of your life through pictures – isn’t a new concept, but Alberto Frigo’s project stands out because of its execution. While most lifeloggers use high-tech cameras that automatically snap pictures at a set interval, he prefers to use his left hand every time he uses his right one. He always uses an old pen camera of which he has a box of spares.

Source: TheJournal.ie, Dublin Science Gallery