Architectural Master Studio: “The Exquisite Corpse”

Project Team: Cecilia De Marinis (original brief by Dr Diego Fullaondo)
Year: 2019
Places and Institutions: School of Architecture and Built Environment, Deakin University, Geelong, AU.

The Exquisite Corpse describes a creative technique consisting in a collection of words or images that are collectively assembled. Each participant adds to the composition in sequence, completing the design of a specific portion of the final piece of art, by seeing what the previous participant produced (or only the end of it). The technique was invented by Surrealist artists, who derived its name from the first phrase created through its application: Le cadavre exquis boira le vin nouveau (The exquisite corpse shall drink the new wine).

This studio focused on the creative method of The Exquisite Corpse to interpret and define the physical materialization of the urban fabric. The technique is strongly connected to the “collage approach” to design and planning. Students were encouraged to research its principles and potential applications to the understanding of the urban environment.

The studio focused on the analysis and design of a portion of Melbourne CBD. The selected site includes a grid that is boarded by Elizabeth street to the West, Russell street to the East, the river to the South, and expands towards North. The site is divided into “strips” perpendicular to Swanston Street and each student will be assigned a different “strip” for the design development.

Individual design interventions on allocated strips were eventually assembled together to create a new “collage” of Melbourne CBD.