West Gallery brings together a diverse group of artists to explore alternative methods to printmaking through the use of discarded compact discs.
While the era of physical media has been experiencing pendulum swings—out of fashion then back in fashion as a response to the oversaturation of all things AI and digital—people are still finding ways to make use of older formats. This is the idea at the center of the upcoming exhibition Disc.cussion: presented by West Gallery, it asks a select group of artists to consider alternative approaches to printmaking through the use of discarded compact discs or CDs as matrices for drypoint.
The exhibition transforms the function of a CD by turning it into a site for tactile image-making, rather than a mere vessel or container of digital information, this metamorphosis an exploration of the evolving relationship between the physical and digital, as well as obsolescence, in the practice of material reuse.
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How The CD Makes The Perfect Canvas For Disc.cussion
By working with the fixed, circular format of a CD, artists must navigate constraints on both a technical and conceptual level. The central void, once essential to the function of the disc, becomes a hurdle in terms of composition, yet the challenge also presents an opportunity for experimentation and new viewpoints. Participating artist Noell El Farol explains that “the void at the center becomes an integral part of the composition,” yet “one cannot make a focal point due to its absence at the center.” As such, the artist must carefully negotiate against the object’s inherent sense of motion.
The material qualities of the CD also change the ways in which artists work on it. Its polycarbonate surface is vastly different from traditional copper or zinc plates, and as such, affects the way in which the incised line and ink is held and transferred. “The process of incising physical marks on CD creates a dialogue between the ephemeral data and the tactile permanence created by drypoint,” El Farol adds, noting that the resulting burrs “blur the microscopic series of circular lines that transform the CD into a digital relic.”
Bringing Sustainability Into Contemporary Printmaking
More than a foray into new ways of practicing a medium, Disc.cussion also brings sustainability and accessibility into contemporary print practice through the repurposing of discarded media. The act itself proposes an alternative, circular approach to artmaking, one that’s especially salient in “a milieu characterized by overconsumption and manmade environmental crises,” as participating artist Poeleen Alvarez puts it.
Through these works, the compact disc is repositioned not as obsolete technology, but as a material with continued cultural and artistic relevance. What once functioned as a carrier of digital information is reactivated as a matrix for image production, one that bridges the gap between data and imprint, ephemerality and permanence.
Featured Artists In Disc.cussion By West Gallery
The exhibition features works by Alynnah Macla-Tadeo, Benjie Torrado Cabrera, Diana Aviado, Plet Bolipata, Don Kusuanco, Elmer Borlongan, Jojo Barja, Luigi Azura, Angelo Magno, Mars Bugaoan, Noell El Farol, Pandy Aviado, Poeleen Alvarez, Soler Santos, Taj Hassan Asinas Tadeo, Anton Villaruel, and William Matawaran.
Explore some of the works below.
“Disc.cussion” runs from June 18 to July 18, 2026 at West Gallery, 48 West Avenue, Quezon City, Philippines
Photos courtesy of West Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions
Disc.cussion is a group exhibition presented by West Gallery that explores alternative approaches to printmaking through the use of discarded compact discs (CDs) as matrices for drypoint. The exhibition examines material reuse, obsolescence, and the relationship between physical and digital media.
Participating artists transform discarded CDs into printmaking surfaces, incising images directly onto the discs and using them as drypoint matrices. The process reimagines the CD as a tool for tactile image-making rather than a carrier of digital information.
The exhibition explores sustainability, accessibility in contemporary printmaking, material reuse, and the evolving relationship between digital technology and physical art. It also examines how obsolete media can retain cultural and artistic relevance through creative repurposing.
The exhibition features works by Alynnah Macla-Tadeo, Benjie Torrado Cabrera, Diana Aviado, Plet Bolipata, Don Kusuanco, Elmer Borlongan, Jojo Barja, Luigi Azura, Angelo Magno, Mars Bugaoan, Noell El Farol, Pandy Aviado, Poeleen Alvarez, Soler Santos, Taj Hassan Asinas Tadeo, Anton Villaruel, and William Matawaran.
Disc.cussion runs from June 18 to July 18, 2026, at West Gallery, located at 48 West Avenue, Quezon City, Philippines.
