Project Brief
Skin Codes: Filipino Diaspora is a two-part book about the history of the Philippines under the American colony and the voices of Filipino-Americans.
Narratives
The Philippines was colonized for many centuries by the Spaniards, followed by the Americans. The American colonization in the Philippines played a major role in the formation of the Filipino identity, as it developed its education system and implemented English to be written and read in books, and even influenced its currency. Due to this relationship, Filipinos were allowed to come to the United States but they were neither citizens nor foreigners — they were nationals. This first part of the book further discusses the obstacles and struggles of Filipinos both in the Philippines and in the United States.
Although they make up one of the largest group of immigrants in the United States today, Filipinos are considered the "invisible community." The second part of the book introduces the "colonial mentality" and contains stories about Filipino-Americans and their identities.
Approaches
It was important to include the history of the colonization and immigration to tell the story of the Filipino diaspora, in addition to the stories of contemporary artists. By using the do-si-do bookbinding, it allowed me to give each narrative a platform of its own while merging them into one book.
PART I
PART II
INSTALLATION
