Good luck to him! When his idea is explained by analogy with those big hyper-real paintings, I can understand his motivation. The fine detail at larger than normal size does mess with your perception (in the same way that Ron Mueck's incredible sculptures do: http://sunseven.hubpages.com/hub/Awesome_Sculptures_Of_Ron_Mueck )
If I had the spare money I would sponsor this project - The idea of images that you can get lost in fascinates me, which is why I have gone to 10x8" neg for enlargement to 36x45" prints
(PS, the fire is still contained and the winds for the next few days are predicted to be mild - We stay prepared)