Public Project
Saving Face
With most of their faces covered they all become alike, they all become one. ‘Saving Face’ is a collection of portraits taken in the streets of Vietnam that aims to comment on the environmental, beauty and class concerns that are arising in Vietnam’s changing society. In the streets of Vietnam’s major cities young people walk around wearing face masks. With most of their faces covered they all become alike, they all become one. Yet the range of designs and shapes reveal personality clues that highlight individuality, bringing the viewer closer to imagine the person who lies beneath the mask.
In the transition towards a fast-developing country Vietnam has witnessed an enormous flow of people migrating from the countryside to large cities. Consequently, the number of motor vehicles that jam its cities has increased immensely, causing an alarming rate of pollution. This new generation have decided to take action and protect themselves from being exposed on a daily basis to the contaminated air with the mask. However, the mask plays a dual role, since its popularity has also grown due to an increasing desire among the youth to have pale skin. An obsession for pale skin tone among many young people in Asia as a sign of beauty, especially among women - has eventually reached Vietnam’s growing middle class.
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