Project 4: Collaboration

For project 4, a collaboration with both Maddi and Natalie from my advanced painting class, we had the challenge to incorporate a person from history, a person/s from our class and a person from a different discipline. We wanted to create some sort of structure or system throughout our process since it included 3 people as creators and 2 others as outside influences. Drawn to the traditional Yves Klein blue Anthropometries  however we wanted to incorporate them in a new unseen light. In turn we started researching the Dada concept of an ‘exquisite corpse’ or ‘exquisite cadaver.’ Thinking along a new system of reference, the exquisite corpse game was traditionally a sort of parlor game invented by surrealist thinkers who wanted to generate new creative collaborative exercises. With the assemblage of either words or images, the artist divides a piece of paper into 3 folded parts, keeping only one side visible to him or her. After creating any sort of image or colloquy, leaving guidelines that extend to the next folded section, the work is then passed so on and so forth to the next collaborator for further contribution. Dada and surrealist thinkers loved this exercise as it questions the conditions of dream and reality with the creation of bizarre and unconscious collective imaginations.

Yves Klein:

‘Exquisite Corpse’ or ‘Exquisite Cadaver’:

4-part Corpse drawing; Man Ray, Yves Tanguy, Joan Miro, Max Morise:

Yoga Corpse Pose:

For the contributor from an outside discipline, we asked Maddi’s friend a non-art major Taylor Owen, for her favorite yoga pose, thinking in terms of different body positions to create body prints of. Ironically she chose the corpse pose or as some people like to call it the ‘lazy California’ pose. Pairing hilariously with the exquisite corpse system all three of use created our corpse pose body prints in Yves Klein blue separately and then came together for the assemblage. By creating our body prints separate from each other, the end products held unique differences that kept the body prints engaging and not too uniform. With three dried full body prints, we then cut sections separating the body into the upper, middle and lower body. By mixing and matching our body sections with each other’s crafting noticeable off but still intriguing silhouettes of bodies, the viewer is invited to examine 3 female bodies in relaxed stasis of lying down that incorporates the feeling of exposure yet is toned down by the playful exercise of mix and match. Although many people think of exquisite corpse exercise as a child’s game, I really admire and respect this game as it reminds me that art can be anything, bizarre or not, while also reminding me again of the creative possibilities not explored or produced in time yet. If I were to do this project again in the future I think it would be really fun the play with the assemblage of a crazy assortment of different poses and prints. Creating crazy dominating prints of female bodies for the entire art world to see.

My process: in my room haha