Altruistic
Nostalgia

Altruistic Nostalgia: How the past we hold onto shapes the future we create, explores the fluidity of time and memory, questioning how the past informs the present and develops the future. Nostalgia often evokes longing for an idealized past, and an altruistic self responds to the present through acts of care and philanthropy. This work positions nostalgia not as passive longing but as an active choice. Examining the tension between these two impulses, asking what we choose to preserve and why. 

 

This body of work is an amalgamation of fragmented and rejoined memories. To reveal parts of the past whether joyous or troubling, mundane or exciting. Each passing moment leaves an imprint that is woven into our present. The folds of time reveal and hide parts of ourselves through these shards of memories. 

 

Rebecca Solnit, in A Paradise Built in Hell, argues that true human connection often emerges not from comfort but from shared hardship. In moments of uncertainty, people unite across socioeconomic, racial, and cultural divides, reinforcing the idea that the present is not only a reflection of the past but also a foundation for the future. Both grand collective movements and intimate individual gestures shape what we carry forward. In Orwell’s Roses, Solnit describes how the roses George Orwell planted in the early 1900s still bloom today, symbolizing the enduring impact of small, intentional acts. Ideas, art, and actions, when planted in fertile soil, become part of the shared narrative that shape our collective memory and future. 

 

What lessons have you held onto that inform your choices now? An altruistic act is a selfless act for the betterment of the greater whole. An act for others. This work explores how personal nostalgia has played a role in individuals' decisions for a vision of a better future for all. How has your personal experience played into our imagined future? What are you holding onto because you don’t want to let it go?