Cillín Perera
Cillín Johann Perera | |
|---|---|
| Born | London |
| Education | Harvard University |
| Known for | Photography |
| Notable work | Homeless CEO |
| Website | instagram |
Cillín Johann Perera is an Australian technologist, photographer and patron of the arts who is known for his "HomelessCEO" project. Between 2013 and 2017, Perera documented his travels by uploading a photo of every flight and each day on Instagram.[1] The project encompassed more than 1000 images from dozens of countries and hundreds of flights and was the subject of a touring exhibition.[2][3]
Perera is currently the chief executive officer (CEO) of Avilinga, founder of nthspace[4] and a Fellow at the NYU Marron Institute[5]. He is a collector and patron of Australian Aboriginal art[6].
Early life
[edit]Perera was born in London to an Irish mother and a Sri Lankan father, and grew up in Melbourne, Australia.
In 1995, he went to the United States to study visual arts and cinema under scholarship at Harvard University.[1] As a freshman, he started a non-profit company and a late-night show, Wide Awake with Cillin Perera.[7] In 1997, Perera was assistant director of Joshua Oppenheimer's The Entire History of the Louisiana Purchase,[8] an experimental documentary that won several festival awards.[9]
Photography
[edit]In July 2013,[2] Perera started the "HomelessCEO" project, as a way to express the nomadic lifestyle of the modern CEO.[1][10] Not spending more than four or five days in any one place,[11] Perera took 168 flights and traveled more than 200,000 miles in 2014.[12]
Technique
[edit]HomelessCEO was shot entirely on Apple iPod and iPhone.[12][11] Perera's style puts a strong emphasis on composition and perspective, partly as a result of equipment limitations.[1] For flights, Perera frequently shoots the view from the passenger window; the project contains possibly the world's largest collection of "airplane porthole" shots.[13] Perera's other photographs show "haunting images of architecture, landscapes and urban settings mostly devoid of the human form."[2] He very rarely features people in his photos unless they contribute to the composition of the shot.[1]
Other activities
[edit]Perera was the founder of Switzerland-based Language Direct, an online language teaching company established in 2004.
He is currently the CEO of Avilinga, a company offering translation solutions for the aviation industry, and the founder of nthspace[14], an artist's residency program with properties in Adelaide, Torino & Grímsey, Iceland (under construction)[15][16].
Perera is involved in the support of Australian Aboriginal art through his private collection as well as philanthropic activities in the field.[6][17][18]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 Liz Durnan (27 March 2015). "The Rich Life of the Homeless CEO". Expedia. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Instagram Exhibition HomelessCEO". Adrem. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ↑ "Homeless CEO, 02 July – 31 July". London Architecture Diary. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ↑ Fontaine, Andie Sophia (21 July 2024). "Writer's Residence Being Established on Grímsey". Iceland Review. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Cillín Perera | Marron Institute". marroninstitute.nyu.edu. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Aboriginal Australian art history gets the scholarship it deserves through the South Australian Museum". South Australian Museum. 4 November 2016. Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ↑ Alexander D. Laskey (16 December 1996). "Late Night With Cillin". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ↑ "Cillin Perera". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 5 January 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ↑ "The Entire History of the Louisiana Purchase (1998): Awards". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ↑ Phil Coomes (22 January 2015). "Instagram: The 'homeless' chief executive". BBC News. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- 1 2 "The Homeless CEO". BBC World Service. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- 1 2 Laura Traldi (5 March 2015). "Il businessman senzatetto" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ↑ The Ten (24 February 2016). "The Ten with @homelessceo". Ollo Clip. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ↑ "nthspace". Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ Adamsdóttir, Margrét (24 July 2024). "A residence for writers looking for inspiration is being built on Grímsey - RÚV.is". RÚV. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ Adam, Darren (6 October 2025). "RÚV English Radio - nthspace, GRÍMSEY - RÚV.is". RÚV. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Philanthropic money to fund Aboriginal art history". Australian Broadcasting Company. 10 December 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ↑ "Documenting Aboriginal Art History". Community & Indigenous Radio. 8 December 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
