Reporter: Annie Armstrong
Source: Lauren Boyle
Since DIS hit the scene in 2010, the collective of four—comprised of Lauren Boyle, Solomon Chase, David Toro, and Marco Roso—has developed an electrifying reputation for transformation. Tracing its lineage, the group initially debuted as an interactive digital magazine critiquing culture from a "horizontal" framework; then, as DISimages, they adopted a mischievous take on stock images. In the physical realm, the group launched DISown, a pop-up shop peddling items that ranged from a tech-fit shirt with philosopher Slavoj Zizek on it, to a folding chair designed to “maximize intern productivity."
In its latest form, DIS has morphed into something of a video production house, calling on the likes of Mackenzie Wark, Aria Dean, and Casey Jane Ellison to build out an online television channel streaming under dis.art. But unlike Netflix or Hulu, the videos on offer are far cries from your usual programming. The point, after all, as co-founder Lauren Boyle told us in a recent email interview, is "to de-categorize and recognize the productive messiness and necessary hybridity that shapes today."
"While more and more people learn to read each day, the world gets closer to the post-literate," Boyle elaborated. "Videos, podcasts, audiobooks, and learning channels are growing rapidly, indicating we want more knowledge—we just want it delivered differently. All this tells us what we already knew: That the tools have changed."
The channel, which debuted Sunday, January 13, only exists online, and is billed as an "edutainment" platform delivering fresh content on a weekly basis. In our interview below, we dive into the collaborative nature of their new venture, unexpected roadbumps they've encountered so far, and what edutainment programming looks like in the “post-literate" age.
Read the full interview on NEW INC STREAM.