Exquisite Corpse
Exquisite Corpse is a way to collectively assemble a work of art.  Surrealist artists, such as André Breton, Man Ray, and Joan Miró believed that creativity could be a shared experience. Although it was initially begun as a literary movement, Surrealism influenced the visual arts as well.  Surrealist artists emphasized imagination and subconscious imagery, and games such as the exquisite corpse became a tool for exploration.

Teen Lab worked together to create exquisite corpses, which can be seen below.

Ashley, Irene, David

 
James, Tiana, Greg

 
Talbert, Tiana, Greg

Want to try?  All you need is a sheet of paper, a pen or pencil and some friends.  Tri-fold the sheet of paper, and have one person draw a head and a neck on the top flap, hiding the work from the others.  Make sure to mark the end of the neck on the second flap.  Pass to the next person and repeat with the torso and then the legs and feet.  Unfold to see your collaborative and surprising creature!

Small Surrealist Paintings
After sketching from the Mary Reynolds collection of Surrealist literary journals at the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries, Teen Lab created small surrealist paintings.  They combined various sketches to come up with one work of art. See a few of the sketches below. Working on a small surface gave the teens a chance to become more detailed with their drawings.

James

Kianna

Tiana

Leonard

Tina

Talbert