In January 2009, in New York City, journalist Achilleas Peklaris and photographer Alexandros Lamprovasilis realized the historic nature of the moment. Life in the metropolis had already changed radically after September 11. However, the fast-moving events - with Obama at the helm of the U.S. and the collapse of financial giants, along with unemployment and recession in the markets - seemed to directly affect the flow of the entire planet.

The anxiety to understand the reality they were experiencing while living in New York drove the two creators of the book to conduct a daily, months-long, and systematic research. They immediately began a series of personal interviews and photoshoots, capturing the raw story in all its details.

The experiment involved 150 fellow citizens from all backgrounds and from across the social spectrum - they encountered an incredible variety of people, from the homeless to philosophers and from pimps to stockbrokers. The result of this original, spontaneous work is the album "Hopes, Dreams & Hard Times" - New York 2009.