I began the project American Dream in year 2015 as a part of my bachelor thesis research. On behalf of it, for three months I traveled across the United States, covering more than 21 000 kilometers. During my trip across the country, I was documenting the representation of the American Dream ethos, paying specific attention to the living conditions, social differences and the importance of money in the consumer society.
American Dream postulates that every American has the rights and opportunities to achieve his or her goals no matter what is the person’s position in the society. And if you are willing to work hard, you will eventually achieve your goals. That is the concept of the American Dream which is based in the American ethos and the nation`s values that are shared among the American society – egalitarianism, individualism etc. In the contrary, it`s interesting that since the late 1970`s the US has experienced economical downfall and since then the economical gap between social classes has only become wider – the lower and middle classes are becoming poorer and the upper class is becoming richer.
While there have been many reportage and road-trip photography projects on America, this body of work aims to delve into a deeper understanding of the American culture and the importance of the American Dream in it.
Adelīna Darviņa
