We will begin by playing the game Exquisite Corpse. This is a method by which collections of words, images or objects (images in our case) are communally assembled. The game was invented by the Surrealists and is similar to an old parlor game called Consequences in which players write in turn on a sheet of paper, fold it to conceal part of the writing, and then pass it to the next player for a further contribution. The results are known as the Exquisite Corpse. The technique got its name from one of the initial writings, "Le cadavre / exquis / boira / le vin / nouveau" (The exquisite corpse will drink the young wine). It seemed like the perfect game for an exhibition around fall and Halloween.We are working with two things in this game, chance and the unconscious. Both of these concepts are going to be important in these classes. The Surrealist thought about chance in this way, if you put two dissimilar things together, two objects with distinct meanings, you end up with a third meaning. It was this meeting of chance elements that brought forward the true unconscious meaning. Also frequently cited in Surrealist texts was the idea that "poetry must be made by all and not by one." How fitting for us to begin with a game that will allow us to make art as a group.
We are going to play the game with a twist. The human body will be broken into six proportionately correct sheets of paper, i.e. the head is around 1/8 of the body. (Don’t worry I will bring these.) First we will word associate body parts to warm us up. For example, what does an arm make you think of? Then we all draw, (skill doesn’t matter, just get the idea down) one section at a time. The results will then be put on the floor where each of us will chose our bodies, in turn one part at a time.
This is where we really change the game; your selected Exquisite Corpse is the inspiration for a piece of art, not the piece itself. Feel free to follow your muse and use any media you want. How true you stay to your original body is up to you. Your only obligation is to your art and to keep a sense of play - after all it is only a game.
Here are the rules:
Your end piece must be 2’ x 4’
It must be finished by mid October.
You must have fun with it.
Interesting stuff! Off to the library for "Through The Looking Glass" and check out The Surrealists, Dada, Happenings, Performance Art and Fluxus.
ReplyDeleteLook where Raw Vision took me:
ReplyDelete"Folk art refers generally to the work of self-taught artists who create art in their own style and without the presumptions and inhibitions instilled by formal training. 'Outsider Art' is more difficult to pin down. It owes nothing to the latest trends or fashions; it stems from the very heart of human expression, from the primal creative urge. This is the way it derives its power and meaning. "
"owes nothing"......I like it!
Yes, I like that too.
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