Assignment #8: I Make Monster

Remember that childhood game in which you (along with a small group of people) create a strange, fantastical figure by drawing a succession of body parts from top to bottom, each created by the person before who folds the drawing, segment by segment, so your creature remains a mystery to all until the end? In this game, known as Exquisite Corpse, your blind collaboration leads to endless creative possibilities. A two-headed baby with a snowman's torso and reptilian feet and tail? Sure! It's all up to your imagination.











Exquisite Corpse actually dates back to the Dada and Surrealist periods of art, and has been played by the likes of Andre Breton, Marcel Duchamp, Joan Miro, and Man Ray.

In thinking of an appropriate project to coincide with our recent feature on Portland artist Andy Kehoe, a painter notorious for the equally nightmarish and smile-inducing creatures which inhabit his compositions, Exquisite Corpse seemed perfectly fitting. The game not only inevitably results in kooky, subhuman figures, but also brings in the crucial Kehoe element of tapping into childhood imagination.

Assignment #8: I Make Monster
Create your own Exquisite Corpse with a small group of people (at least 3 is best).











Simple, right? If you're confused on how the game works, click here for a description. Work in whatever scale, medium, and materials you see fit. When it's complete, scan your creation or take a digital photo of it and send to imakepicture@gmail.com. I'll post the projects that catch my fancy.

For my own interpretation of the project I gathered a group of creative friends and with the help of a variety of materials that included vintage children's books, crayons, markers, magazines, and construction paper...and of course a little beer. :) I don't think any of us were prepared for the success and all-out hilarity of our resulting creations. Our host, Savita, supplied the lovely images. Enjoy!






















































































































Artists: Ashley, Karla, Dan, Savita
Assignment: I Make Monster
Materials: vintage children's books, Sharpies, crayons, magazines, ink & stamp, construction paper, Negro Modelo, Stella Artois