Week 8: Exquisite Corpse

1. Introduction and Outline of Class
• This class is in two parts. The first is one hour and the second two hours. This is an active class and is more about doing than about analysis/thinking. Both parts of the class are to be drawn on A4 paper in one colour.

• Part 1. Blind fold drawing. Students pair up and take turns wearing a blindfold while their partner describes an object or artwork to them in order that they draw it. Each student will have 2 quick ten-minute sessions enabling him or her to make 2 drawings each. This project emphasises communication skills and teamwork, the describer has the responsibility of carefully and patiently guiding the drawer via language, while the drawer is responsible for listening attentively and feeling their way into the drawing.

• Part 2. ‘Exquisite corpse’ is a paper game in which collections of words or images are collectively assembled to create a shared drawing or writing. Each collaborator adds to a composition in sequence, either by following a language-based rule or by viewing part of the previous drawer’s contribution. Students will come together in a group of 4 to resolve 4 drawings. Students can choose to work in text or in image, what counts is that through the activity of drawing, some shared criteria, method or story will be established in the sequence.

2. Class Aims
• Students will advance drawing skills by responding to content particular to moment-to-moment drawing practices including chance and automatic methods and also collaborative decision-making.

• In addition students will learn about the conceptual impetus behind the transition from artist-as-individual-genius to a mode of contemporary practice, which utilises all available means – including community interaction - to produce art.


3. Independent Study, (Description of task)
• Discover and learn about the cut-up technique of Brion Gysin/William Burroughs or the Exquisite Corpse of André Breton and consider how these methods of ‘distributed authorship’ relate to sampling in hip-hop and electronic music. How do these three examples relate to traditional notions of creativity and originality? In your sketchbook write a list and take clippings of your findings and begin to draw some general conclusions.

• Use the library, the Internet, your music collection to do this task.

4. Intended Student Learning Outcomes of the Course (objectives)
By the end of the session students will:
• Use drawing as a means to develop and research ideas.

• Use drawing as end in itself.

• Be familiar with and critically engage in the discourse surrounding drawing at an introductory level.

• Be familiar with the principle of a self-directed practice at a basic level

4. Relevant Bibliography
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exquisite_corpse (overview of exquisite corpse)
• http://www.ubu.com/papers/burroughs_gysin.html (essay on cut ups)
• http://www.ubu.com/film/burroughs_cut.html (film on cut ups)
• Nova Express by William Burroughs

session contacts- s.ingram@auckland.ac.nz johnwardknox@gmail.com