Icelandic photographer Sigga Ella’s project called “First and foremost I am” is a photgraphic essay of 21 portraits of people aged 9 months to 60 years who have Down syndrome.
Why 21? It’s because of the mutation of the 21st chromosome that causes Down syndrome. Ella’s vision was to show that people with Down syndrome are “diverse and they’re unique, just like everyone else in the world.”
Contents
show
The project began with the ethical question of prenatal diagnosis.
Specifically, the detection of birth defects.
Should we get to choose who lives and who doesn’t?
Will people decide not to keep an embryo with Down syndrome?
“The title of the project comes from an article I read which Halldóra Jónsdóttir, a 24-year-old woman with Down syndrome, wrote.” In the article, Jónsdóttir said: “I have Down syndrome but FIRST AND FOREMOST I am Halldóra. My life is meaningful and good.”
Ella said of the backdrop: “It’s colorful and happy and shows us that all kinds of flowers can grow and flourish together.”
