Surrealist techniques

Surrealist Techniques for producing Artwork

Surrealism has a strong Cognitive and Psychological Association. That is to say that the Process of Surrealist Thought Involves a sense of Awareness of your mental processing, With a Particular interest in the process of Subconscious thought.

The same way an Inkblot test works, in which participants find it possible to associate objects or scenarios to a patternless shape without Conscious Application. Surreal Art allows questions of perception that can be interpreted in multiple ways.

Perhaps another way to think about Surrealism as a Technique is to understand Lateral thinking,

Thinking Laterally involves using a different type of reasoning to Logic.

Logic's process is transparent (A + B = C)it is clear to see it's process is built on a step-by-step structure

Lateral thinking is not so obvious, it relies on techniques like free association providing external stimuli OR the Removal of stimuli

but perhaps the most important is Questioning, taking Nothing for granted. Challenging the Status Quo in ALL areas, in this way Lateral thinking is much more Open and can produce Surprising results.

Lateral thinking works with a natural human trait, that is creating Patterns out of Chaos. It is an inherant Evoultionary trait and a way to make sense of the world around us. We in essense Make up countless connections between different objects, people, environments, scenarios as well as pieces of personal and cultural information All the time. However these connections are not necciselriy always clearly visable before trying the technique. This is because this process of Association is handled by the Subconcios part of the human mind. This may also be due to an evoultionary trait as the mind is able to take in a great deal of information that is not necciserly useful in an Immediate situation.

Another example of the application of Surrealist thought can be seen in a technique developed by Salvador Dali the 'Paranoiac-critical method' is a psychological technique in which creating a hallucinatory like effect of seeing an object infront of you but producing a phantom like non logical association with another is the aim. as if you were Distorting reality infront of you to imagine an association with another object.

This technique derived from previous Surrealist techniques such as Max Ernst’s 'frottage' technique, which involved creating marks of textured surfaces (e.g. rubbing pencil on paper on top of a texture) and then interpreting the marks made

Unlocking the massive log of information inside your subconscious is the process you need to go through to get to Surrealist Thought.

Surrealism enables creative thought as it requires the thinker to be resourceful, to be able to think laterally...naturally

Techniques

One of the most famous techniques is known as 'Exquisite Corpse'

the name 'Exquisite Corpse' derives from the result of one of the first games played in which produced the line "The exquisite corpse will drink the new wine."

'Exquisite Corpse' is a game designed to create Random association (this can be used as a final piece or a way of gaining inspiration) the game is similar to a game called Consequences in which players write in turn on a sheet of paper, fold it to conceal part of the writing, and then pass it to the next player (creating the random outcome) This Literary version also expanded into the Graphical

This pictorial version is also known as picture consequences in which the same idea is applied to drawing.

here a simple example of this game

first make sure there are at least 3 participants, what your all going to do is create a creature that doesn't exist in reality, take a piece of paper, fold it into thirds One person will draw the Head, draw lines that connect the Head over the fold then fold the paper over to hide the first drawing but allow the next person to continue the body section from the lines you have left for them. Then repeat for the Legs

This is a simple technique that even children can take part in!

Even though it is simple what is drawn has psychological worth. Each section will represent the Drawer or how the Drawer views the subject and what's more the Entire drawing itself will represent the group giving a variety of outcomes each and every time the game is played. Creating new perspectives, new ways of viewing and understanding

In essence this is How Surrealism works, it uses the natural ability of the mind to think creatively

Surrealism in Context

surrealism derives from Dadaism in which the main agenda was the Destruction of Culture and Man made Systems such as the workings of society. The Dada movement was very focused on the idea of Meaning, creating Distorted scenarios in which culture can be examined. There is a definitive legacy of this attitude apparent in Surrealism the Splicing of elements of Reality and the Fantastical often creating a Juxtaposition creating a new meaning, or again the ability to change your perspective on an old concept. A way of stripping cultural content down to its Raw truth.

Surrealism can be considered as a way of Philosophizing, of Political Expression as well as Creative Endeavor in this way. Surrealist Techniques such as Exquisite Corpse (mentioned above)can also reflect the Socio-political implications to this way of thinking. This can be seen in the games dependence on co-operation and the reflection of the group as a whole rather than a single individual owning Credit for the outcome. This process lends itself to Left Wing Communism.

The Surrealists as a group could be said to be More involved in Surrealism as a political and ideological organization than an Artist one. Many Surrealists claim the Artwork is a by-product. An example of this Strong association with Political Idealism can be seen in the Example of Salvador Dali, Ironically one of the most famous Surrealists he was kicked out of the group for his Ego Centric Capitalist Ideals.

Summery

Surrealism is a way of thinking and in the end the way you think will reflect in any piece of work you create. It has the potential to unlock Great creativity from the individual and great collaboration with others as well as the potential to understand the way you and other people think.

Through processes of abstraction you can create new terms in which to express what can't be said clearly with language but is equally a part of the Human Condition. This for me is where the Power of Surrealism comes from.