A WORLD OF LIVED PORTRAITS
TRISOMY 21
“In this work of profound honesty and beauty Rivas manages, in image and word, a rare achievement — to make space for the ‘stumbled upon’ moment, the moment that opens outward and offers new pathways for how to be human. The book centres 21 people with T21, along with their families and communities. It is a triumph of focus and scale. Off to one side, though nevertheless essential to those ’stumbled upon’ moments, is the author herself, interrogating the stories and preconceptions of her own life. This book is sublime and had me crying.”
Angela O’Keeffe – Author
Where it all began
Twenty-two years ago, an idea took hold of me: to explore the talents of people with Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) to share their stories and photos in a book.
In 2018, I was ready to bring that idea to life, with a camera, a campervan and a plan to travel alone around Australia, interviewing and photographing up to 20 people.
But the journey had other plans. Through a series of serendipitous moments and events, what began as an Australian road trip unfolded, instead, into an eight-year worldwide adventure – now spanning two books.
I travelled across six continents and fourteen countries – sometimes with my partner, Edgar – welcomed into the homes and lives of people with Trisomy 21 and their families. Along the way, the project became far more personal than I could have ever imagined. I listened and photographed.
Within the pages of these books, you will meet laughter and heartbreak, vulnerability & resilience, and the messiness of our everyday lives. Above all, you will meet people with their own personalities, relationships, dreams, challenges and ways of seeing the world.
I began this project wanting to explore what people with Trisomy 21 could do. Along the way, I came to understand something more profound: that a person's worth can never be defined solely by their abilities, material achievements, or diagnosis.
ExtraOrdinary – A World of Lived Portraits – Trisomy 21 – BOOKS 1 & 2 bring together 43 deeply personal stories, shared by 39 participants and their families.
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For signed copies, please contact Angela directly.
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Meet the author
Angela E Rivas is an Australian author and photographer whose work explores people, place and lived experience through photography and storytelling.
Born in Santiago, Chile, Angela migrated to Australia in 1976. With a degree in Fine Arts and a background in education, she has spent more than 35 years behind the camera, drawn to portraiture and the human stories that emerge through a face, a gesture or a moment.
In her first book From This Place – Inspiring Women Artists of the Upper Yarra Valley, she and her friend, Lindy Schneider, brought together stories and portraits gathered through precious time spent with Women Artists in their home town.
ExtraOrdinary continues that exploration, this time through the lives and experiences of people with Trisomy 21 and their families around the world.
Angela lives in Warburton, Victoria, Australia.
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