Hélène Mauri, a nurse and photographer, asked people living with serious, progressive illnesses or at the end of life what kind of photograph they would like to see or have. A unique, soothing photograph that would serve as a source of comfort and support and bring them a sense of well-being. We all surely have a special place in our lives—a person, perhaps an object. These sick individuals must cope with physical, psychological, and sometimes even spiritual and cultural pain. They are free to request any photograph they wish (landscape, portrait, etc.).
In response to this request, Hélène Mauri offers to go take whatever photograph they want, wherever it may be, and then bring them back a print to hang on the wall of their hospital room. The reader first reads the person’s wish in their own words, and then, on the next page, sees the resulting photograph.
If there were only one image
Text and photographs: Hélène Mauri
Foreword: Mercedes Deambrosis
17×24 cm, 180 pages, 50 four-color reproductions
paperback with slipcover.
Graphic design: Danish Pastry Design
