project overview
BACKGROUND & VISION
Justin Tellian is a photographer inspired by street art. He lives by his word and his word is DREAM. Tellian first brought together his love of street art, his skill in photography, and his belief in the power of dreaming to a 2008 group portrait of dreamers in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The invitation came last minute but many friends gathered wearing white, ready to dream together for one picture. Artists, fashion designers, filmmakers, writers, and musicians all united in this common experience.
Since then Tellian's vision has widened with the ambition to unite people in five cities across the world, spreading the message, "WE DREAM". In each city, the artist gathers anyone who self-identifies as a dreamer regardless of background, age group, or lifestyle. Tellian considers his dreamer shoots as a mixture of celebration and mise en scene.
So far, dreamers have been photographed in Mexico City and Berlin. Future shoots are slated to occur in Tokyo, Johannesburg, and New York, and now a new city is being included: Black Rock City, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Burning Man, and the 'Metropolis' theme this year.
Tellian's last act will be hosting an event in New York where the iconic, large-scale portraits of each city will be revealed for the first time together. Dreamers from each city will be invited in the hopes of bringing them together to declare again, and for the first time: WE DREAM.
CHAPTERS & PROGRESS
Chapter 1 - Mexico Dreamers (completed)
Chapter 2 - Berlin Dreamers (completed)
Chapter 3 - BRC Dreamers**
Chapter 4 - Tokyo Dreamers
Chapter 5 - Johannesburg Dreamers
Chapter 6 - New York Dreamers
**This chapter is new to the vision.
