DiscLab

DISCUSSION LAB (DiscLab) launched its website a couple of weeks ago. Hailed by Rappler as one of the promising independent art initiatives in Manila, DiscLab aims to "posit critical discussion of art by mapping art histories or engaging the market through questionnaires and interviews with more established art historians and critics."

DiscLab answers a major problem we have today: how to make art accessible—and understandable—to the public. Its mission is to "document the recent history of Philippine contemporary art. Sifting through the overwhelming influx of ideas, theories, and criticisms, DiscLab imports diverse frameworks that enrich the understanding of art. As it situates the public in the process, DiscLab cultivates a platform that reconciles the requirements of objective inquiry with the demands of stakeholders to participate in a critical discussion of art."

The website is, quite literally, an online magazine. You turn the pages by clicking the icons to your right and left; it flips like tangible paper. The maiden issue is called #ACRITICAL. The writing is excellent. Some require time to process—but it's all worth it. It has a certain academic feel to it; reading the articles makes you feel smarter.

My friend Renan Laruan is the Founder and Executive Director of this organization. I'm really proud of him. I'm merely a pretentious know-it-all; he's the real deal. His passion is art. Some of the movies and documentaries and books I've encountered were suggested by him; I don't know where he gets them.

I hope to read more about every day topics in the website—things ordinary folk like me can relate to.

For now, enjoy DiscLab's offering.