The title Alma Mater comes from the Latin phrase meaning nourishing mother. It also plays with the word “alma,” which in Hungarian means apple. In Spanish, for example, “alma” means soul, which was the original focus of my research. How does one research a soul, or search for one’s own? It cannot be seen or touched, so it needs something onto which its meanings and messages can be projected. In this project, the apple becomes that vessel, while also carrying its rich cultural, religious, and symbolic meanings. At the same time, it may signify something entirely different for each viewer. For me, it represents connection, fate, destiny, soul, God, and presence. Although the project began as a search for truth about the nature of the soul, I quickly found myself returning to my roots and starting over, this time in the company of my mother and Marika. It became an attempt to resolve inner conflict by addressing my most significant external one, my relationship with my mother, including the traits I struggle with in her and in myself. “Hate” is a strong word, and I do not like confronting the intensity of that feeling. For years, I tried to distance myself, even idealizing her at times, just to preserve some sense of emotional stability. I began to recognize patterns and characteristics that I perceive as destructive, not only in myself but across generations in my family. These are traits that all three of us share. This project is an exploration of those traits and their possible origins, through conversations and photo sessions, in which I attempt to find acceptance and a sense of peace within myself, and with them, together.