(photograph © Kiwidutch)
Last weekend I was sorting out some photos of local city landmarks taken last summer during some of my walking adventures.
Suddenly I spied some photos that I’d meant to divert into a separate folder on my computer and mark up as a future blog post.
Somehow I missed these at the time and now it’s highly overdue that these get a little publicity in my little corner of blogsville.
These amazing billboards had been put up in the center of the city and they captivated not just my lens but also my heart.
There was a text billboard with an explanation of the purpose of the exhibition, here’s a copy of the text:
The 101 portraits in this exhibition consists of, are meant to provide a peek into the world of Down Syndrome.
A world that turns out to be utterly different from the usual stereotypes: pitiful children with terrible hairdo’s and pants pulled up to their armpits.
The children that are photographed take part in life and fully enjoy it. As do their parents.
Eva Snoijink has managed to capture their spirit in their portraits as well as in the brief captions that accompany them: beautiful, evocative photographs of magnificent children, along with thoughts on anxiety and sadness, on adjusting expectations, but particularly on indescribable pride, love and joy.
Eva hopes that the the Upside of Down will not only be a feast for the eye, but will also contribute to a more realistic image of Down Syndrome, in order to make anyone who sees a child that has Down Syndrome look beyond the syndrome and value the child for its true merit.
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
The Foundation “de Upside van Down” and Eva as one of the founders carries this thought into the future.
The 101 portraits of the exhibition have also been published in book form.
The book, called the Upside of Down, is available in all bookstores, More information: http://www.deupsidevandown.nl
Kiwi’s note: this website is available in the Dutch language only.
The caption in the next photo reads:
“First the diagnosis Down syndrome is hard to take, but after that the worst is already over“
Wow, what truth, aren’t these children just so incredibly beautiful? …like all children they are full of innocence, mischief, fun, love, life and joy.
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
Three guesses which book I’ll be looking out for when I’m next in the bookshop…
