The Past Is Present is comprised of video, photography, and animation that explore the history of the Armenian Genocide and its implications on the current generation of young Armenians. When cultural identity is synonymous with survival and genocide, one cannot distinguish between the origins of one’s own culture and the origins of a fractured identity. Loss of past, loss of generational influence, and loss of culture are all a part of the survivors’ experience, and, therefore, become an inherited experience. The photographs in The Past Is Present address the legacy of victimization and symbols that reference the poetics of survival and cultural identity. Each image represents an element within the stories that were passed down by my family related to their experiences during the Armenian Genocide or they are items that hold cultural value and directly impact they hybridity of my identity. Stories related to the genocide were revealed after I initiated the discussion of the past at a Christmas gathering in 1993. Prior to 1993, little to no conversation was had about the circumstances that my ancestors had to deal with. Genocide is not a topic that is favorable with most survivors - it is preferable to speak in sweeping generalities rather than recount the specifics of horrors that were witnessed or experienced.