SHOT: We the Mothers Philadelphia
SWTM is a photography documentary featuring 51 mothers who have lost children to gun violence in the Philadelphia area. The women have been photographed at locations of their choice which hold a special meaning to their child. Photographs of mementos from the children are also included in the project. The text associated with the project are from the mother’s social media posts, unfiltered in their descriptions of what they are facing.
This is the first phase of Shorr’s three-part endeavor focusing on the collateral damage created by gun violence, highlighting mothers. A book followed by phase two which will be a short video of social media video posts of some of the mothers edited together. Phase three will be a website and Instagram account which will be open to mothers from across America to submit photographs of themselves to be displayed together, united as survivors of the public health crisis of gun violence.
Shorr describes the project:
“SWTM is the initial undertaking of the non-profit SHOT: We the People. SHOT: We the People was established to continue my exploration of the effects of guns on American society. In 2013, I began to travel around the country photographing people who had been shot and survived. For over two years I photographed a diverse group of survivors resulting in a book which was published by powerHouse Books in 2017, SHOT… 101 Survivors of Gun Violence in America (www.shotproject.org). The idea for SWTM came from one of the survivors photographed in this book, Joe Wilson, who implored me to help the mothers in Philadelphia who had lost children to gun violence.”
LOCATION NOTE: Exhibition no longer on view at this location. Visit the SHOT and SWTM project websites for more information.