Sunday, May 2, 2010

Exquisite Corpse - "Substitute"


It took weeks for this random group of creative thinkers just to come up with a name for ourselves. So when the thought was tossed out that we throw our collective talents into a common visual arts submission for an upcoming art show, we - of course - had to sift through quite a bundle of ideas. What we settled on was an 'exquisite corpse' project of a life-sized figure with the working title of 'The YelloWall Doll'.

The specifications:
- Allot one body part to each interested artist
- The artist would then create the 'life-size' limb/organ/part using the medium of his/her own choosing
- During creation, the artist should bear in mind the need for attachment to the other components & incorporate a hook, loop or other connection point

A total of 20 artists participated:
- Ken Arthur: Phallus
- Laurie Beekman: Heart & Horn
- Jeff Bell: Head & Assembly duties
- Linda Chevalier: Left thigh
- Kevin Cochran: Left calf
- Kathy Fetzer-Goodwin: Antennae
- GypsyLuc Hargis: Wings, Organizing & Assembly duties
- Jason Kaufman: Torso & Assembly Duties
- Misty King: Right Arm
- Jenny Lucas: Left Arm
- Tracy McAdams: Painting, Assembly & Transport Duties
- Antoinette McMillen: Tail
- Karch Mohafer: Soul
- Andi Phillips: Left Leg
- Kate Shannon: Pet Bird [Joint project]
- Cameron Sharp: Pet Bird [Join project]
- Tyler Sweet: Neck
- John Thrasher: Pelvis
- Kate Westfall: Hair, Earrings, Organizing & Transport duties
- Sabrina York: Right Foot
- Others: Helped spread the word & with Transport duties

With that many artists in the mix, we ended up with some amazing elements fashioned from a multitude of materials. These materials ranged from the organic end of human hair to the manufactured end of a prosthetic leg.

In addition to the efforts of each artist to create his/her body part, there was also a lot of effort put forth in organizing, assembling & transporting 'Substitute'. Through the process we experienced excitement, frustration, cohesion, problem-solving, teamwork, creation, synergy, pride & elation. When you throw together 20 different artists with vastly different visions, styles, skill levels, preferred media & voices you definitely go into it with a big question-mark. We had absolutely no idea how the final project would turn out.

In the end, the hard work & headaches paid off! The exquisite corpse piece was accepted into the 65th Annual May Show at the Mansfield Art Center http://www.mansfieldartcenter.org/. But not only was it accepted, it also won a cash award for creativity.

During the opening reception, patrons of the show were constantly huddled around studying, discussing & pointing at 'Substitute'. From conversations, it seems that what drew them to the piece was intrigue, fascination and, mainly, the understanding that many individual parts had come together to form a cohesive whole...

The one thing that remains to be seen is what will become of our little 8' tall Frankensteinesque creation once the show is complete. There has been talk of finding him a permanent home somewhere in the Mansfield community where he can continue to live & breath & share his almagous message. As a Collective, we would love to see that happen. Of course, if it doesn't, we've already got a backup plan in the works...

[See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exquisite_corpse to learn more about the history & variations of an exquisite corpse project.]

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