Love Lives in Diversity

Jean Tran is the co-founder of award-winning design agency Monarque. Élysée Lang is a freelance photographer specialising in beauty and wedding photography. JÉ  (as in “Je t’aime”) is an amalgam of the couple’s initials and a reflection of the love that Jean and Élysée have for each other and for humanity.

The couple shares a common interest in the connections between humans; In their Love Lives in Diversity series, they have invited over 100 Montrealers to close their eyes and think about a loved one as they sit for a portrait. The results are astonishingly beautiful. 

Montreal’s diversity is a cultural universe of its own – it introduces us to people who look different, cook with spices we aren’t used to, hold different religious beliefs and speak different languages. In this project, the city’s diverse yet harmonious cultural landscape is powered by the universal property of love.

“Loving-kindness happens when we clasp hands with other nations and cultures.”

Love Lives in Diversity is a series within the Love Lives Inside Project, encouraging subjects to close their eyes and connect with the universal and binding reality of love. When strangers think about someone—or something—they love the most in the world, they turn their gaze inward to reveal a part of themselves that reinforces what matters most in life: love and kindness. 

The project was inspired by the complexities of modern life and our rapidly declining ability to connect in real-time.  Capturing these photos is their approach to restore those lost connections and to get intimate with strangers. Their purpose is to explore meaningful experiences and the deeper meaning of love. By showing the simple act of closing one’s eyes to bring love into focus, these images reinforce that where there is love, there is life, creativity, and possibility. 

View Love Lives in Diversity here.