Reykjavík Museum of Photography

The portrait project "First and foremost I am" consists of 21 portraits of people with Down syndrome. The reason for that number is because the trisomy of the 21st chromosome causes Down syndrome.  I chose to photograph people of all ages, from 9 months to 60 years old.

The reason I did this project was because of this radio interview I heard, where they were discussing the ethical questions we now face, that we can choose who gets to live and who doesn't, as the aim with prenatal diagnosis is to detect birth defects such as Down syndrome and more. Where are we headed? Will people choose not to keep an embryo if they know it has Down syndrome? I had a lovely aunt with Down syndrome, aunt Begga. It is very difficult for me to think about the elimination of Down syndrome and her at the same time.

The title of the project comes from an article I stumbled upon on the internet, written by Halldóra Jónsdóttir. I contacted her and asked if she wanted to be part of the project. She said yes and she's is one of the people featured in the project, as well as her article. In the article she goes through her thoughts on these ethical questions. Here is a part from the article that she allowed me to use as part of the exhibition:


Hello. My name is Halldóra. I read this article in the newspaper the other day that caught my attention and at the same time made me angry and sad. There was this woman who wrote something about how people with Down syndrome should not exist. Therefore I would like to share my opinion. I have Down syndrome but FIRST AND FOREMOST I am Halldóra. I do a million things that other people do. My life is meaningful and good because I choose to be positive and see the good things in life. I go to work, attend school and have hobbies. I enjoy spending time with my friends and family and I like being around people.
In my world there are all kinds of people, both old and young, disabled and non-disabled. It has taught me a lot and I can see that many of us have some kind of difficulty that we are battling, both physically and mentally. That’s just how life is, it’s not more perfect than that. And it doesn’t matter if you are young or old, rich or poor.

So I thought: Who is perfect? Who can say, that we who have Down syndrome are worth less that anyone else? We are all different and would it be so great if we were all alike?

My opinion is that it is much more fun that we aren’t all alike, because we can learn so much from people who are different from ourselves. I like learning from others and you are free to learn from me. I choose to enjoy the life I was given, to be happy with what I have and make the best of what I've got. It’s not a bad life, or what do you think? This is my opinion.

The author is a 30 year old woman with Down syndrome. She is a student, works at a library, is an amateur actor, musician and much more.



Sigga Ella, born in 1980 in Akureyri, Iceland, graduated from The School of Photography in Reykjavík in  february 2014 and is currently living and working in the capital. Her main interests are photographing people. She has taken part in two of Mary Ellen Mark´s workshops, first in 2012 as an intern and in 2014 as a student where she made a series of people with Alzheimers. Sigga Ella has also published a book of photos of the electronic band Bloodgroup which were taken over a two year period, from 2011 to 2013. 

Further infos on her [website](https://www.siggaella.com/).


Sigga Ella│First and foremost I am

"First and foremost I am" is the title of an exhibition by Sigga Ella in exhibition space Skotið.

Sigga El­la│First and fore­most I am

"First and foremost I am" is the title of an exhibition by Sigga Ella in exhibition space Skotið.

Sigga Ella│First and foremost I am