This is what a conceptual artist and "experimental philosopher" Jonathan Keats has done in Berlin.

It is part of the century camera project - an "unauthorised surveillance" system consisting of 100 ultra long exposure photographic devices deployed in and around Berlin that Keats plans to distribute next week May 16 to anyone who wants to participate.

Volunteers are then responsible for finding a place to secure their camera and to provide retrieval instructions to their kids and grandkids.

In place of film, the century camera uses a special black paper surface to record images very slowly.

Working with Berlin's Team Titanic art gallery, Keats says he hopes the project will expand to include more cameras, more participants and more cities.

"I'm already having conversations with people in places ranging from Los Angeles to Mexico City," Keats was quoted as saying.