Oral Presentations
On Mimicry
Presentation Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Christopher Dombrowski
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Creative Writing
Abstract / Artist's Statement
On Mimicry is a collection of essays about how I grew into the physical and mental likenesses of my parents. A photograph inspired this project: my father and I stand in our kitchen on the Dover Air Force Base, him in his uniform and me holding a sippy cup. We strike the same stance, but we mirror each other. He reflects on me, and I on him. On Mimicry examines how our shared genetics and trauma has shaped us into the people we are today. I see my father in the tone of my laugh and my confessions from a therapist’s leather couch. I see my mother in the ways we hold pain and how we love. Each essay includes at least one photograph to support the narrative and utilizes elements of epistolary essays, anatomy essays, and profiles on people and places. This collection draws inspiration from literature and memoir about family, place, and memory, including On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, A Man’s Place, Breaking Clean, Dear Memory, and Litany for the Long Moment. The narrative content, techniques, and included photographs forge a path through family memories and stories, reconstructing my past to understand my future.
Category
Visual and Performing Arts (including Creative Writing)
On Mimicry
UC 333
On Mimicry is a collection of essays about how I grew into the physical and mental likenesses of my parents. A photograph inspired this project: my father and I stand in our kitchen on the Dover Air Force Base, him in his uniform and me holding a sippy cup. We strike the same stance, but we mirror each other. He reflects on me, and I on him. On Mimicry examines how our shared genetics and trauma has shaped us into the people we are today. I see my father in the tone of my laugh and my confessions from a therapist’s leather couch. I see my mother in the ways we hold pain and how we love. Each essay includes at least one photograph to support the narrative and utilizes elements of epistolary essays, anatomy essays, and profiles on people and places. This collection draws inspiration from literature and memoir about family, place, and memory, including On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, A Man’s Place, Breaking Clean, Dear Memory, and Litany for the Long Moment. The narrative content, techniques, and included photographs forge a path through family memories and stories, reconstructing my past to understand my future.