* ​I greatly appreciate the continued support from the Ontario Arts Council for their assistance with funding Dream Strong​  through an Exhibition Assistance Grant.

Dream Strong, 2018

In a safe-space public venue, my Dream Strong project, installed at JOUEZ at the BIG on Bloor Festival Arts and Culture!, allowed visitors to focus on dreaming strongly by participating in a collaborative dream-ribbon project launched in response to the Toronto Van Attack.  Participants were encouraged to write down their dreams on coloured ribbons inspired by notions of inclusivity, intersecting cultures, equality of peoples and the hope for healing. I wondered if this dream-based project could also help to consider in what ways could we possibly prevent such “van attack” reoccurrences on a societal level? I invited participants to connect the ribbons with other coloured ribbons so that throughout the day this act of connecting will eventually result in a site-specific participatory multi-coloured dream-ribbon installation. Through this artwork, I asked the participants to be strong by dreaming big, and with hope, by sharing in dreams of interconnectedness with others to make our community a more peaceful place to co-inhabit.

DIANA YOO​