From Land To Sea: The People's Story is a global fine art platform documenting the living cultures of Indigenous and land-connected peoples across the world — through large-format black and white photography, cinematic projection, and the unedited words of the people themselves.
Created by visual storytellers and filmmakers Thomas Salpietro and Marty Dryden Brown, the platform produces chapter-based fine art exhibitions, each one built through extended time on Country, genuine community relationship, and cultural guidance at every stage. The work is not made about communities. It is made with them — shaped by trust, place, and a shared commitment to how it will live in the world.
At the centre of every chapter is a belief that these communities deserve not only to be seen, but to be heard. Alongside each portrait, the person photographed speaks directly — their own words, unedited and unfiltered, delivered to the world exactly as they were given. No interpretation. No editorial shaping. LTS is the platform. The voice belongs entirely to the people.
The first chapter was created with the Kuku Yalanji people of Far North Queensland, Australia — one of the oldest continuous cultures on earth. The exhibition drew over six thousand people and is now in development for a national tour. Future global chapters are in active development across Mexico and beyond.
What emerges across every chapter is evidence of cultures that are present, continuous, and speaking.
From Land To Sea: The People's Story is created by Thomas Salpietro and Marty Dryden Brown.
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From Land To Sea is created on Country, and in places with deep cultural custodianship around the world. We acknowledge Traditional Custodians and Indigenous peoples, and we honour Elders past and present. Our work is guided by cultural authority, consent and respectful collaboration.