Surrealist Games

To the Surrealists, playing games was an important part of the creative process. Not only are visual games fun, but the Surrealists believed that games and "automatic" techniques (techniques for creating art without conscious decision making or self-censorship) allowed ideas to develop in non-traditional ways by giving the mind the freedom to experiment and allowing the unconscious to surface. The basic techniques and rules of these games are simple and anyone can do them with unique results every time.

Exquisite Corpse
What You'll Need:
- 2 or more friends (3 or more players total)
- paper
- pen or pencil

One of the oldest Surrealist games is Exquisite Corpse. Fold the piece of paper into thirds (or as many sections as there are palyers). The first player draws a head and neck in the top section, extending the lines of the neck just below the fold, then folds it over and passes it to the next player, who continues the drawing without looking at what the previous player has drawn. The second player draws the torso, also extending the lines just below the fold, then passes it to the third player who draws the legs and feet. The final product is called the exquisite corpse. This game can also be played using collage instead of drawing, and online at Draw and Fold Over. Note: you don't have to draw people! Your section of the picture can be anything you like, as long as it connects to the lines left for you by the previous player. For more information and ideas, visit ExquisiteCorpse.com

Andre Breton, Man Ray, Max Morise, Yves Tanguy, Exquisite Corpse, ca 1927

Cubomania
What You'll Need:
- a photograph or other image on paper
- scissors
- canvas, board, or heavy paper
- glue

Cubomania is a technique whose creation is credited to Romanian Surrealist Gherasim Luca. Take a photo or other image on a piece of paper and cut it into squares, making sure all the squares are about the same size (a ruler and pencil might be helpful, but aren't necessary). Mix up all the squares and reassemble them randomly, gluing them onto a piece of board or heavy paper. Try not to think about which square you're picking or if it's upside down/rightside up, etc. Just pick a square, glue it down, and see what happens.

 Daniel C. Boyer, My Fantasy Arrives by Post, 2004

These techniques can be used as inspiration, as the beginning of a work of art, or as a finished piece. Exquisite Corpse and Cubomania are just a couple examples of the many games and techniques used by the Surrealists. For more ideas check out a list of Surrealist techniques on Wikipedia.

 

Allison Recht

Comments

[Peter]

Surrealist game is often like the zig-zag arrange game. The squares have to be arranged in such a way that it gives a shape or makes a beautiful image. This is an old technique used quite a long time ago.

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[Frankie]

Love the drawing exercise called the Corpse (but would prefer a less macabre name). Excellent exercise for building participation skills and perceiving how the individual affects the whole.