Mountainose

Mountainose is a 3D scan of my nose that is edited on Blender and imported using GLTF. My work is about the colonialism mentality that is ingrained in the Filipino community of physically having a “flat nose”. With Western cultures being the number one influence, Filipinos are losing their sense of culture. I immigrated here in the United States at a young age from the Philippines, so my Filipino culture has slowly been diminishing. I am now accustomed to the “American lifestyle”, and since my Filipino culture has been left out, I do not appreciate it as much.

With my “flat nose”, I want to glorify and acknowledge this insecurity that a lot of Filipinos go through in their day-to-day lives. I also want to open up the conversation to people who feel like their physical appearances aren’t enough and they do not appreciate it. Furthermore, I expanded on the colonial mentality in the commercial world of skin whitening industries.

I made a physical soap brand called, “Totoo” to express also the colonial mentality that western culture put upon the Filipino culture. The soapbox and the soap itself is a 3D scan that was processed in TRNIO and imported, then edited on Blender.

These skin whitening products are greatly destructive to physical and mental well-being. Filipinos have the tendency to break away from their native culture, being their appearance. The skin whitening industry targets mostly the lower-income groups using the soap to increase aesthetic appeal, economic and social status. Totoo means “real” in Filipino and a lot of soap brands have the word “original” on the front cover. Many Filipinos believe and trust in the English language more than their own Tagalog language. This brings up a conversation about authenticity and the manipulation that is in the advertising world.

Explore the sacred land of Mountainose and appreciate the beauty that it has to offer. You are in a safe place, feel free to roam as you may.