Samantha Altamirano

When diving deeper into the internal aspects of what makes up the human experience, I begin to assess and reflect on my way of thinking, my way of seeing, and my way of being. The ways in which my own way of being has developed over time tells a story. The people around us, both past and present, influence us at our very core. Simply put, you never stand as one, you stand as thousands of generations at once. As we carry things from the past, traumas and misfortunes inherited, I seek to explore the link between psychobiology with that of epigenetics to bring forth a new way of understanding.  

With my current body of work, I am exploring this sense of memory in a way that contrasts from the past to the present and incorporates themes of self-reflection, idealization and a change in perspective. I discuss different states of being that are reflections of childhood to adulthood and how those difficult memories impact and stay with us through different stages of life. Ultimately with my work, I want to focus on the genealogical effects that memory and trauma has on us through generations and how that relates to our mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.  

As we evolve, memories evolve with us and remain etched and preserved upon our membrane as the emotional and mental baggage follows through generations and becomes a part of us. The connections retained through memory and family are the things that lead me back to the way that I am. The things that they endured and experienced become intertwined and live on through me. With these works, I can form a transformation of the psyche that is somewhat predetermined within us.   

I explore this through the geometric forms that become repeated throughout my work. These shapes represent the platonic solids as they are archetypal shapes that create the building blocks of our physical reality. These shapes are a part of our universe and have always existed in some way. In sacred geometry, the belief is that certain shapes and patterns have spiritual significance. These forms are repeatedly seen in nature and are thought to hold a deeper meaning that connects the physical and spiritual realms. Now, because some of these shapes are also apparent in our DNA, it is therefore theorized that the essence of the universe runs within us. This thought process leads me to the implications that because memory can possibly influence our DNA, we are left to question whether who we are meant to become is predetermined and out of our control.  

As I explore a time in which I didn't exist and contrast that to my overall experience from childhood to adulthood, I reflect on myself and my family and how those memories and feelings still linger in us now. However, those thoughts and the people that exist in them have faded away, but all that pain, grief, and resentment stays with us. Those feelings continue to exist in the present and will continue to influence future generations at the core of every being.  

Ultimately, in a world that exists at hyper speed, I hope to slow time down, and bring forth a deeper connection and catharsis to what exists at the subconscious level to a truer form of sentience.