“I suppose you have received many letters from desperate mothers. Here is mine.” My sister wrote these words to a neurologist in 1997 when my nephew was two years old.

one, one thousand… is a love story and an unconventional documentary exposing the impact a rare and incurable form of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, has on a mother and son's experience of life-long care. This is a family caregiver’s story of devotion and perseverance.

At 28, David is non-verbal, experiences daily seizures, has scoliosis, severe autism, and requires 24-hour care. After years of pursuing conventional approaches to stop my nephew’s seizures, Lori turned to nonconventional healers, working in energetic and mystical realms. Seeing beyond their circumstances fuels her dedication to David's care and her own personal growth.

Multiple artistic interpretations convey realms of David’s unknown perception of the world and Lori’s spiritual practice. Herein lies the intersection between what is “real” and what is outside our realm of understanding. Color references the likelihood he experiences synesthesia, a condition in which one sense is experienced through another, such as seeing color when hearing a sound. Because David’s communication is minimal, we will never know what his internal experience is. The title, one, one thousand…, references Lori counting how long the seizures last. Image captions are Lori’s handwritten narrative.

When I asked David’s permission to make this project, I did not know if he would respond. In a rare and astonishing gesture, he leaned toward me with sustained eye contact. I got my yes. David would allow me to enter his vulnerable world.

I was impressed by the quality and diversity of the work submitted to the Social Awards. Seeing projects from around the world that address a variety of meaningful social issues, such as climate change, immigration, activism, systemic racism, socioeconomic inequity, chronic illness, neurodivergence, aging, family systems, the effects of the pandemic, and LGBTQ+ rights was very moving. In addition to the subject matter, the formal and technical execution of each project was critical to my selection; I was looking for cohesive bodies of work comprised of strong individual images and was most drawn to projects where the artists spoke about social issues from a highly personal vantage point, using their own stories as a point of departure. As I was viewing all of the submitted work, one of my favorite quotes by Diane Arbus came to mind: “The more specific you are, the more general it’ll be.”

The two Honorable Mentions, one, one thousand… by Debe Arlook and A Permanent Home in the Mouth of the Sun by Hannah Altman also embody a combination of personal storytelling and socially-engaged content. one, one thousand… tells the story of Arlook’s 28-year-old nephew, David, who has Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, an incurable seizure disorder, and severe autism, rendering him non-verbal and in need of full-time care. Arlook’s images show David and his mother, Lori, alongside her handwritten text describing aspects of their lives and relationship. A Permanent Home in the Mouth of the Sun explores Jewish diaspora, world building, and sacred time through photographic narratives that build from interpreted rituals and motifs in Yiddish folklore. Using herself, her friends, and her family, Altman creates formally compelling photographs that explore themes of time, ritual, memory, and ancestry through the lens of her own experiences with Jewish identity and culture.

- Jess T. Dugan, Artist & Co-Founder, Strange Fire Collective