“The Exquisite Corpse”

“Surrealists played a collaborative, chance-based parlor game, typically involving four players, called Cadavre Exquis (Exquisite Corpse). Each participant would draw an image (or, on some occasions, paste an image down) on a sheet of paper, fold the paper to conceal their contribution, and pass it on to the next player for his contribution.

Taking turns adding onto each other’s drawings and collages  resulted in fantastic composite figures. For the Surrealists, “Exquisite Corpse” was a perfect parlor game, involving elements of unpredictability, chance and unseen elements – all in the service of disrupting the waking mind’s penchant for order.”