Archived: the Exquisite Corpse project

The Exquisite Corpse Project

NB posting dates changed to give everyone a chance to catch up after a patchy start...

Sign up by: March 15th 2013
Minimum number of participants: 3
No maximum number

First posting: April 1st
Second posting: May 1st
Third posting: May 15th
Fourth and final posting: June 1st

Now that everyone has (hopefully!) fully recovered from the purely collaged postcard swap, I think it’s time for a new quick-turnaround challenge, what do you reckon?

You might remember me mentioning this idea ages ago in one of the Collabor-ART newsletters, and I have been reminded of it recently by taking part in an Art House Co-op project along the same lines – let’s play a good old fashioned game of Consequences!  (or, to give it its fancier and altogether creepier name, the Exquisite Corpse)

A quick Google Images or Pinterest search on ‘exquisite corpse’ will bring up a ton of examples, but I am sure you all remember how this works from playing Consequences as a child:

• one person draws the head, and folds the paper down leaving a tiny bit of the neck showing,
• the next person draws the upper torso, and folds it down
• and so on until you have a complete picture
• then the paper is unfolded and everyone falls about laughing at the funny picture
• and mum criticises your older brother for drawing boobs on his part of the drawing, that kind of thing :)

So it’s still collaboration – but this time we’re going in blind!

How this is going to work?

First of all please sign up below, and let me know if you would be prepared to take part in more than one group in case we need to make up the numbers

Sign ups:

1. Sarah (Flo) – happy to take part in up to 2 groups
2.Pam (psychodiva) I'll do two also if needed 
3. Donna (up for two seeing as I ducked out of the collage and flags)
4. Rebecca (happy to do more than one if needed)
5. Karen (more than 1 if needed)
6. Lou aka poshscot,  one for me
7.Pat Beaumont - one for me
8.Jas (Jazz27)- I'll do however many you need :)
9. Sherry - happy to do more than one.
10. Carmen - up to two if needed :-) 
11.  Virginia - I'll do two if needed as well! 
12. GlitteryKatie -happy to do more than 1!
13.
14.
…..

Once sign ups are closed, I’ll divide us up into groups of no fewer than three and no more than five, and let everybody know how big their group is and who they are posting to – postings will be in a round robin style, like a circle journal, you always post to the same person.

Each person needs to think of a theme – NB the theme is individual to you, there is no over-arching theme per group:

Theme suggestions:

• Figures/people always work well with this kind of thing – woman, man, ballerina, zombie, steampunk dude, etc
• Or you could go with a structure – building, machinery, robot
• Or an animal or otherworldly creature – giraffe, bird, fish, monster, alien
• Or anything else you think will work!

The next step will be to take a sheet of cardstock or watercolour paper – around 12” x 8” would be a good size for a figurative picture, but feel free to alter the dimensions to suit whatever you have in mind for your theme – and cut it up into pieces – one for each member of your group.

Put each piece into an UNSEALED envelope, and label the envelope accordingly – for example for a zombie picture split into 4 pieces from top to bottom, you might label them “1. head”, “2. upper torso”, “3. lower torso” and “4. legs/feet”

Then you need to complete the first piece – usually the head

Any style of art goes – drawing, painting, stamping, collage, a bit of everything – no restrictions

Once the first section is finished, put a couple of little marks on the next section of card to show the next person where they need to continue from – and then seal up your piece in its envelope.  This will stay sealed until the big reveal at the end.

You’ll then post your parcel containing one sealed and a number of unsealed envelopes, plus a covering note specifying your theme, to the next person on the list.

(a collaboration between me, my other half and my 10 year old)

Person number two will complete the second section – in the example above, the upper torso – put continuation marks at the top of the 3rd piece of card, seal up their own artwork in its envelope and post the whole lot on to the next person, and so on

Once all sections have been completed, the package of sealed envelopes will be sent back to its originator for the big reveal and assembly of the finished piece


I hope all that makes more sense than my collaged postcard instructions which were a disaster! :D

I think that this will be a lot of fun, I’m hoping a few of you agree with me and want to join in, as it won’t be much of a game of Consequences on my own…..

UPDATE - here are the three groups:

Group 1:

Karen received from Jas, posted own and Jas's to Sarah 19/4

Sarah - posted my own to Carmen 29/3 / received Karen's and Jas's together 20/4 / posted Karen's to Carmen 25/4 posted Jas's to Carmen 13/5 posted Carmen's home on 28/5 - and mine came home 21/6, so that's me all done

Carmen - posted to Jas 8th April - sorry for delay Jas. Received Sarah's. Received Karen's. Posted Sarah's 9th May  Received Jas's, Posted Karens 20th May, My monster is home :)

Jas - posted Carmen's to Karen 26th April. Rec Sarah's 11 May, rec Karen's and sent Sarah's 22 May, bit late but Karen's complete and sent 18/06 that's me all done :)

Group 2:

Pam

Virginia - posted 6 April - received 11 April 2nd posting sent 1 May received both Katie's and Rebecca's corpse 1 May and resent on the 3 May because I'd done them.  So I've now completed all of the ones in this group WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Rebecca - posted 22/3 - received 11 April :) Posted 26 April: 10 May received Pam, Katie and my corpse back completed 21 May, sent Pam (for Katie to finish) and Katie's complete one. I'm all finished now too :)

Katie-posted 10/4

Group 3:

Donna - MAILED Sherry home and Lou's to be finished 2nd May

Sherry - Posted Donna's to Lou 06/04. Received Pat's from Donna 12/04 - Posted Pat's to Lou 18/04.  Posted Lou's own one to her 13/05..

Lou - as at 18/5/13  rec'd mine (will blog today)  and posted Donna's to Pat 10/5/13 still to do Pats.

Pat  -  I have posted Donna's and Sherry's 18/4 Honey I think you will recieve Donna's cos you mailed me ( donna) Lou's and Sherrys
Pat - Donna's arrived while I was on holiday so I will get it finished asap

Please update the list to let us know when you have posted and received, thanks