This project is about João. About autism. Autism is a very particular way of being in the world and building a reality of yourself, often meaning restraints in communication and social interaction, as wall as patterns of repetitive behaviours.

João is 20 years old and was diagnosed at 3. He doesn’t go to school, doesn’t grab a book to read, doesn’t watch TV and has never used a computer or phone.

He does not speak, but from an early age he started to write. He writes about the present, about the future, addressing various issues with such quick and stunning clarity, as if he has access to information in a way unknown to us (in 2014 his book “The child of God” released by Porto Editora was a bestseller).

Sara got along with João for almost one year, and I witnessed his writing, his thoughts and desires. When he met her, he wrote her some words about his thoughts on Photography. João knows that words are not an absolute form of communication, and believes that photography is a powerful mean to boost human mindfulness. She agreed to go through with the project, to raise awareness to his cause and to autism. And the trip gifted her with a huge personal growth as a human being, as a mother and as a photographer.