# Contorted Sleeping Captures The 'Thought I Was Awake' Photos by Ting Cheng are Surreal By Cody Turner | Published 2012-08-22 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ting-cheng References: [flavorwire](http://www.flavorwire.com/320350/surreal-photos-of-sleeping-floating-figures-in-contemporary-dream-worlds) & [flickr](http://www.flickr.com/photos/chengting/) Taiwanese artist Ting Cheng has been shooting a [series of photographs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/still-life-1) involving people sleeping in peculiar positions. The series, entitled 'Thought I Was Awake,' seems to escape reality. Ting Cheng is a London-based photographer who captures figures that appear to be sleeping or floating amidst contemporary landscapes. Some of the positions that these people are in give the photos a very [dream-like feel](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cosmologyscape), almost as if you yourself are in a dream state. One such photograph is one with a girl who is perched atop a shelf. She seems to just hang there, suspended in time. When asked about her [sleeping portraits](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sleep-concert), Ting said that "this series of photographic documentation was the tangible manifesto of my somewhat elusive state of existence.” ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.6/10 - Popularity: 34% | Activity: 5% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial - Top markets: North America, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Modern](https://www.trendhunter.com/modern) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Surreal Sleeping Photography:** Opportunities for innovative photography techniques in capturing surreal sleeping poses. - **Contemporary Landscape Photography:** Innovative techniques to capture landscape photography featuring sleeping poses. - **Dream-like Photography:** Innovation in photography to capture dream-like states. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Artistic Photography:** Opportunities for artistic photography featuring sleeping poses in unconventional positions. - **Interior Design:** Innovative ideas for incorporating surreal sleeping photography into interior design. - **Mental Health:** Using surreal sleeping photography as a tool to explore the theme of mental health. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Statement Street Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/surreal-street-art-1.md) - [Painting-Immersive Photo Exhibits](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/new-ground-exhibition.md) - [Unfiltered Sleep Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ikea-sleep-talk.md) - [Distorted Furniture Street Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/first-kiss-at-last-light.md) - [Minimalist Experimental Egg Racks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/experimental-egg-racks.md) - [Artful Suspended Fashion Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/invisible-figures.md) - [AI-Generated Poetic Photo Series](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/emilio-alarcn.md) - [Performance Art Furniture](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bio-pop.md) - [Built-In Sensor Smart Headboards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dream-head.md)