Surrealism, in brief.

What is surrealism?

A question better suited to surrealism's purpose is- what is surrealism capable of being?

It is certainly dream-like, as it is based mainly on loose or "free" associations, the unconscious mind and unconventional juxtapositions on many levels. The video above, by Jan Švankmajer (see: http://www.jansvankmajer.com/ & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_%C5%A0vankmajer) demonstrates the uncanny and seemingly nonsensical approach many artists of the Surrealist school of thought took in creating collages, drawings, films and works in other media. Surrealist artists were not only visual artists, as many of us may believe today (that all "artists" work with fine art materials i.e. paints, clay, etc). One of the Surrealist movements greatest contributors, Andre Breton, was a proponent of literary art, prompting his friends and colleagues to write poetry and short stories through systematic games.

Breton (1896-1966), a frightful and endearing fellow.

Through use of the "Exquisite Corpse" game, which has both illustrative and literary uses, players are invited to work as individuals, contributing blips of information to the final composition through secretive and introspective ways, while simultaneously working as a cohesive team.

For example, in a game aptly titled "Questions & Answers," Player 1 jots a question, any question that is first in his mind, onto a piece of paper. It could be as simple as "Why is the tip of this pencil so dull?" Player 1 then folds the paper so that the sentence is no longer upwardly visible, and passes the sheet to Player 2. Player 2 then writes an answer, anything that comes to them, entirely unaware of what the corresponding question was. For example: "Because the world is round" is a perfectly acceptable response. While the unconscious mind takes precedence over most of the Surrealists' attention, the opportunity for chance and unexpected results really tickled them, and spurred tons of interesting and innovative work.

Pair up with a friend and give it a go.  After you've tried a few rounds, you'll be in stitches.