Monday, February 11, 2013

IMUNURI prompt: object renewal

"Fountain"
Marcel Duchamp
There's an improvisational game where a group of players puts a selection of random objects into a large bag.

A player pulls one out—say it's a ballpoint pen in the shape of a gold railroad spike. The player then uses the object in a 3-second scene, but not as a pen nor railroad spike.

Instead, she places it vertically on the ground, balancing it on the flat end so the point sticks up into the air. She then gives a Godzilla roar and kicks over the "skyscraper."

Now it's the next player's turn. He scoops up the pen, looks sadly at it and says, "I thought I wanted this so badly, but I never should have killed the last unicorn."

The next player takes the gold railroad spike pen and holds it like a hypodermic needle, saying in a soothing voice. "Now, this will only hurt for a minute, and then you'll never have to worry about catching whooping cough."

Eventually, a new object is drawn and players continue to improvise unfamiliar ideas around the familiar (or unusual) objects.

The game is reminiscent of Marcel Duchamp's famous artwork "Fountain." A urinal, out of context and turned on its back becomes a decorative water feature. Placed in a museum exhibition, it becomes a work of art.

This week, write about a familiar object in a new way. Use it for something beyond what the manufacturer was likely to have intended. See it as a work of art, or a unicorn horn, or a skyscraper.
What wonders can you release from the mundane props of your life experience?

keywords: objectify, poem, your name

No comments:

Post a Comment