Documenting the dreamers of New York’s subway

REM sleep is the state we enter when we are able to dream: whether it's a mundane reliving of your 9 to 5 or a technicolor party trip, dreaming is something we all do. Photographer Diana Kunst captures these little stolen moments of rest, when we drift off to somewhere far, far away from where we are physically.

New York City's subway is the home of Kunst's subjects, the commuters, tourists, city slickers and homeless population who nap along some 800 miles of underground railways. It's left up to us to imagine their sweet dreams in the alcoves of the yellow-lighted carriages. "Above it, in the street we are on permanent alert, without giving our brain a chance to disconnect and think about nothing," explains Kunst.

"I found that the underground is like a little temple for people, because there is no reception in transit. It's like a small paradise in this fast-paced world of information."

Originally from Madrid, she views the fast pace of New York as one of the most aggressive cities. However, it's in the isolation of the underground that Kunst sees her subjects become "more human, and more vulnerable". No matter your walk of life, it's easy to succumb to the low lights and the warmth of the 24 hour train as a haven for the weary.

Check out more of Diana Kunst's work here