The Surrealist game in which players add to a drawing or sentence without seeing earlier contributions is exquisite corpse.
Exquisite corpse is a collaborative creation method developed by Surrealists in Paris around 1925. In its verbal form, participants contribute words to a sentence while concealing previous entries. In its visual form, a sheet can be folded into sections so each person draws part of a figure without seeing the whole image.
The technique was designed to bypass deliberate control and encourage surprising combinations. It reflects Surrealist interest in chance, collective imagination, dreams, and unconscious processes. The resulting poems and drawings can be humorous, bizarre, or unexpectedly coherent.
The French name is cadavre exquis, usually translated as “exquisite corpse.” It came from an early sentence produced through the method: “The exquisite corpse shall drink the new wine.” Automatic writing is related to Surrealist experimentation but is normally an individual practice rather than this concealed group game.