I’ve never been as enthralled by a website as I am by “A Moment in Time,” a virtual venture by The New York Times Lens that is equal parts photo series, interactive art gallery, and crowdsource experiment.

Everyone will find something to love in this treasure trove: voyeurs will enjoy peering into the luscious, hyper-intimate moments of others; travelers will relish in the whimsical journey across cities and landscapes; thinkers will find inspiration in the historical and philosophical aspects of the experiment–all the photos on the site were taken in a single day by individuals, then stacked according to geographic location.

The result is a monumental collection at once important and utterly fleeting.  I am, admittedly, a dreamer, but to me it is a unique artistic demonstration of power of the world wide web and its ability power to harness a wealth of information that is emotional, dynamic, populist, and individualistic.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, this exhibit speaks volumes about global experience as we know it.