The Black Swan Collective

A recently completed project involving 6 artists working to create a unique film. Consequences was completed under a short time scale in an effort to encourage each contributor to work in a more subconscious manner and to force mistakes, subjugating the work to a later party.

This is the first of what I hope to be many cycles. Given the nature of the game and the medium of film, many more variations and collaborations can be put to practice. In fact given the vastness of the group I would love to see member from a different cities/countries contributing - Sending the film from Scotland, England and to France (and perhaps even Argentina with Celeste?) could make quite the project.

The brief and a link to watch the complete video are attached below (is there a way to embed a video from Vimeo - the file is too large to post here - even after converting and reducing the quality)

Consequences

I propose a video collaboration piece amongst artists that follow the traditions of the game invented by the surrealists, “Exquisite Corpse”. Just to remind ourselves the nature of this game –

Played by a small number of people, each participant is required to draw a body part on a piece of paper in a sequential order. The first player is to draw a head, fold the paper over in order to conceal it, allowing only trail marks/guidelines for the next player to make their mark from. The process is repeated, to comprise a figure of a head, torso, legs and feet. A collectively assembled image can thus be revealed.

Attaching these rules directly to a video project would prove a difficulty given the complex media that is film. In this instance (and in what may well be the first of a series of exchanges), we aim to take the general principle of Exquisite Corpse; that is the act of assembling images based upon another’s prior actions. It is this cause and effect that shall function to be the main purpose of all our exchanges thus, this project shall be titled, Consequences.

To put our project simply, Consequences requires 4 artists. Artist#1 is to shoot and edit a film of his choosing with the resultant film being passed on to Artist#2 to watch in its entirety. Artist#2 shall again shoot and edit a film, though this time in correspondence with Artist#1’s film. The process continues until Artist 4 finishes his film. Artists may only view the preceding film before their turn i.e. Artist#3 shall only view Artist#2’s work in forming his response. Only upon completion of the project shall all films be compiled together and viewed in their entirety for the first time by all involved participants.

Artists are encouraged to be as imaginative as possible in forming their reactions. From viewing the entirety of the previous film, liberty is granted to the artist in what they chose to form a response from. It is not a requirement to pick up where the previous artist left off, though it is an option. Moreover, it is up to the artist on what to utilize in forming their film; be it a given theme, trope, subject, object, sound, etc. Consequences should however be apparent. This is by no means to say all films shall be cut from the same cloth; style, genre, method, language and the very film formats are subject to change, but again, only as a natural reaction.

Unlike Exquisite Corpse, where the goal is to draw a body, we are not collectively working to a specified end. Therefore, in consideration of the preceding film, artists are granted a level of free reign as to where to take the work. As a result, the succeeding artist may change the direction of the project in forming their own response.

Any preconceived ideas are to be immediately discarded. Consequences is to be regarded as a project of collaboration; continuity in some shape or form is key to the success of the project. Furthermore, Consequence takes its process from a sketching game, and so all contributing films are to be sketches. No masterpiece is expected, or rather wanted. Artists are to spend a maximum of 2 days in both filming and editing their sequences before passing it along to the next participant. Films are strictly to be no shorter than 1minute and no longer than 5 minutes.

During the project, films are to be shared only with the succeeding artist. Additionally, artists must not discuss their work until project completion.

So I'll start off with some photos from my exhibition in Eymet that closed today. Just gonna say thanks to Ian Graham for setting the whole thing up (and shifting all my work). Ok new work first...