What better way of showcasing art and tackling the nation's struggles in a pandemic than creating an exhibit online?
A new Facebook page paves its way to a fresher and more dynamic way of telling a story and discussing the pressing issues of today.
MULAT 2.0, is a visual arts page that was turned into life to present the projects and talents of Far Eastern University's (FEU) visual communication students. It is the second installment of a physical exhibit with the same name.
In an interview, Herwin Cabasal, MULAT adviser, told the MetrosceneMag:
"The theme of MULAT 2.0 - Visual Communication Exhibit for this season is 'Visual Expressions of Quarantine.' The objective of this edition is to express and present visuals that deal with the Enhanced Community Quarantine mandated to us by the government. Since we believe that this pandemic is already part of the Philippine history, visual communication students aim to chronicle the current situations and events that we see and observe during this quarantine. We do this by producing visual media such as print ads, photo essays, movie posters, and short films that adhere to the said theme."
"But there’s a twist to add some flavor. Since communication students of FEU are truly creative people, their media productions in whatever forms must be inspired by various art movements that they have learned from the said subject. From Impressionism, Expressionism, Surrealism, Magic Realism, all the way to Symbolism, Social Realism, and Pop Art, among others, students can choose which art movement can serve as an inspiration for their media productions to visually express and present stories about life under quarantine. At the same time, these outputs can also serve as both advocacy and protest of the students regarding different social issues exposed by this pandemic," Cabasal added.
So far, the page is earning very good responses from the netizens, showing their awe and support through shares and reactions, and effectively engaging in discussions in the comment section.
"From there, we believe that we are already achieving our objective in MULAT, which is to serve as a platform for discourse and discussion about what matters in our society," he expressed when asked on what their objective for the page was. With the exhibit's main inspiration from a discussion in class about Aldous Huxley, 'The Art of Seeing' author, that said "the more you know, the more you see", they believe that this quote sums up what visual communication is all about.
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MetrosceneMag asked what the page's inspirations and goals are.
"This is basically the reason why it gave birth to an idea of advocating 'visual literacy.' That is primarily our inspiration and goal on this page. Here in MULAT, we encourage our viewers to read visuals with critical thinking. It is not enough that we just merely appreciate the aesthetics, but to perceive what it is really trying to convey. Most of the time, we have to see these artworks outside the frame. It is by seeing outside the frame that we become critical and responsive to the diverse issues of society," he answered.
Living up to its name, most especially in a crucial time like this, MULAT will always have its eye open and will never be blind. As Cabasal emphasized, "here in FEU Department of Communication, students utilize their knowledge, talents, and skills for the greater good of this nation. That is why in everything we do in this field, we adhere to this mantra: 'may alam, may pakialam.'"
The online virtual exhibit can be visited thru their Facebook Page. It will run from April 26 to May 26, 2020.
Text by: Kyle Cadavez
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