Surrealist Game Studio (ASC180)

A playful one-day, mixed-media workshop introducing participants to surrealist and Dada-inspired games as tools for loosening up creativity.

What will you learn on this course?

Get inspired by MAC’s Surreal Season of amazing exhibitions including Emmy Bridgwater and the Birmingham Surrealists and Surreal Solihull, and become a surreal artist yourself.

Through a variety of games and techniques, participants will generate surprising visual and written material before developing experiments into a resolved artwork. Activities will include-

- Using the exquisite corpse game to collage new creatures out of found images, a limb at a time.

- Exploring automatic drawing/pareidolia using pencils/ pastels or charcoals to tap into the unconscious mind

- Creating Dada cut up poetry - using magazines and newspapers to make found poems or editing poems/articles by blacking out to make new poems

- Working with ‘readymades’, a Duchampian approach to found objects, images or giving any found object you may bring the dada treatment

- Collage subverting - taking adverts and making them critical/political/surreal or silly

A unique workshop for those wanting to refresh their creative practice through play, collaboration, chance and intuitive image-making.

The class includes group tuition and one-to-one support from the tutor. Guidance will be tailored to your level of experience to help you achieve your aims for your work. In addition to practical creative techniques, the course focuses on creative skills, artistic knowledge, and self-confidence.

Who is this course for?

This course is suitable for adults aged 18+ years. It is It is open to participants with all levels of experience looking to experiment with their artistic practice.

At the heart of MAC is a focus on accessibility and inclusion. Please contact us to discuss your specific access needs. The room is wheelchair accessible. A personal assistant or companion must book a complimentary ticket if attending to provide support.

Do you need to bring anything?

The studio is equipped with easels and drawing boards. Paper is provided and basic art materials may be borrowed on the day.

You may wish to bring your own sketchbook and bring additional materials to work with as the course progresses.

Are there any additional costs?

Any additional materials must be bought at the participant’s expense.

Who teaches this course?

Niall Singh