mission
vision
Chinese Filipino Gen-Zs are constantly exposed to new ideas and emerging technologies on the internet, that they acculturate to the dominant or popular culture, and veer away from their natal culture.
As a highly digitalized generation, the Chinese Filipino Gen-Z lacks exposure to current Chinese Filipino art or artists on the social media platforms they use.
At present, Chinese Filipino culture is behind in integrating itself into the fast paced culture the community finds itself in. Four halves aims to be one of the many steps forward in bridging the traditional with the new and emerging technologies.
It is inevitable that the Chinese Filipino Gen-Zs will acculturate to the dominant culture they find themselves in. However, without dialoguing about one’s culture can weaken their affinity and even appreciation of a culture that is unique to them.
Many Chinese Filipinos find it difficult to identify if they are either more Chinese or more Filipino. Isolating cultures and creating exclusivity is a false representation of what Chinese Filipino culture is and what it could become. To be conscious of one’s cultural identity and reality, helps them to be more in tune with their identity as individuals and better situates themselves in how they must respond and communicate with their social and even global context.
As a Chinese Filipino graphic designer, I mostly get my inspiration from East Asian illustrations and editorial designs. In these artworks, I see a partial reflection of my Chinese cultural identity, and in the artworks of Filipino designers, I see a partial reflection of my Filipino identity. However, these two worlds never coincide with each other.
Coupled with the confusion that the Chinese Filipino identity brings, this thesis project is a pursuit to understand and challenge the different facets of Chinese Filipino culture. It is meant to encourage people to be unafraid in confronting difficult cultural norms, to inquire what makes us who we are, and to determine the possible changes needed in the community.
Four Halves is a personal stepping stone for me as a Chinese Filipino designer, but more importantly, this project has opened my eyes to the opportunities it holds for my community to appreciate and rediscover their cultural identity and heritage. My hope is that Four Halves will be one of the few ways the Chinese Filipino community can be more open to introspection and discourse on their own culture.
