Free Association
by BFA/MFA students at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
June 1 – July 19, 2018
The Gallery at The Kranzberg
This exhibit is specifically in response to Melissa Stern’s The Talking Cure which was on view in The Gallery at The Kranzberg from Jan. 19, 2018 through May 19, 2018. Her exhibition centered on works that suggest a story to the viewer and she invited collaborations in a variety of art forms. We have used this model in our exhibit as well and are welcoming responses and participation by encouraging attendees to freely associate their own meanings to the works and share their interpretations.
The use of free association through words and images allows the mind to spontaneously respond to verbal or visual prompts. This enables the subconscious mind to speak in an active form rather than only through dreams. Artists have been intrigued by the dream state since the early 20th century. Dada leads the way in defying the restrictions of the rational mind, followed by the Surrealists and the influence of Sigmund Freud. The goal of these artists was to allow the subconscious to surface and communicate what the conscious mind suppresses, edits, and censors. This desire was shared by authors and play writes as well. The main theses of all these artists were that creativity from the unconscious mind can be more powerful than conscious thought and should be expressed freely. Today, images from the imagination and unconscious are considered just as legitimate as literal imagery and we cannot imagine a world without this form of self-expression.
Automatism, free association, and the use of the Exquisite Corpse exercise are all creative devices artists can use to liberate creative thinking and examinations of their methods.
The Exquisite Corpse is a collaborative drawing approach first used by surrealist artists to create incongruous and intuitive drawings.
An Exquisite Corpse may be visual, oral, or written.
There are three ways for viewers to participate. Everyone is encouraged to do one or all three of the following:
- Chronicle thoughts to the tape recorder in the gallery.
- Contribute to a free association poem by adding to list of words. Please respond to the first word that comes to mind upon reading the previous word on the list.
- Add to a continuous Exquisite Corpse craft paper drawing.
These collaborative efforts will be revealed on the final day of the exhibition.
The artists who contributed to this exhibit are: Samantha Hunerlach, Sarah Bohn, Jessica Lynn Hunt, Joseph Ovalle, Benjamin Carey, Sutton Allen, Katie Donovan, Alassan Sow, Alex Bailey, Annie Darlin, Alex Jacobs, Jessee Rose Crane, Claire Mentzer, Derek Patterson, & Vincent Stemmler
