So Ya Wannabe A Surrealist? Part One. Introduction

 

SO, YA WANNABE A SURREALIST?

Part One: Introduction

A new exhibition has just opened in London, at the Tate Modern, 'Surrealism Beyond Borders'.  It's essential message is that Surrealism never was just an art movement, based in Paris during the inter-war years, but a multi-formed intellectual movement that was international, interdisciplinary, and that existed well beyond the arbitrary expiry dates of 1939, 1947, or whatever suited the art historians of whatever period, and might even reveal that Surrealism continues to exist 100 years after the founding of the movement.

Now, the exact centenary of Surrealism can be disputed, the group was formed out of the wreckage of Paris Dada in 1922, but the real founding document, the Manifesto of Surrealism, was only written and published in 1924. But the point here is that there's about a hundred years of surrealist activity to account for and that continues in 2022, despite everything that has opposed it.

It struck me that it is possible that a huge exhibition like Surrealism Beyond Borders might stimulate enough interest in Surrealism that a few bright sparks may decide that they are indeed surrealists and then possibly, just possibly, attempt to start up something they consider to be surrealist activity. To those brave few, I offer some advice, warnings, and maybe the odd joke.

I have already been there, became fascinated by Surrealism, decided that its values and mine coincided sufficiently for me to think of myself as a surrealist, and went out to find like-minded souls. During over 30 years of being active within the surrealist milieu I have also completed a major research project on the subject. I therefore do possess a level of experience and expert knowledge, although to call be an expert might be overdoing it, and I only do so as a joke to myself. The point is that I'm both an activist and a scholar of Surrealism who has some happy and some less happy experiences I can share, whether or not you care to learn from my experience is up to you.

You should not think that I am trying to impose a set of hard and fast rules, at least not beyond the suggestion that Surrealism should be surrealist and that if one speaks of Surrealism it really helps if one has enough knowledge of Surrealism to not look like a complete idiot. I really think that the best advice is to read primary sources, the surrealists themselves, in preference to academic commentators, but don't despise the academics either, they do have something to offer, despite some extraordinarily piss-poor examples of what passes for scholarship. From this mix you can form a better idea of what surrealists think and do and thus find your way around this passional idea.

You might decide that, with the increasing hope that Covid-19 might fade into the background of our lives, there's more possibilities of something like collective action.  You might have found some places on the internet that, apparently, offer surrealist activity, treat them with caution until you have a clearer idea of where they are coming from. You might decide to advertise more locally for contacts to start up a new activity, in which case you'd do well to learn from the experience of a friend of mine. 

This friend advertised in Fortean Times for people to play surrealist games. He was inundated with replies, in excess of 60 I think, and from a very broad and sometimes quite strange, range of people. His respondents did include a few surrealists, but included post-situationist nutjobs, conspiracy theorists and self-promoting minor artists, to name but a few. There was no common idea of what might be done, what Surrealism was, is, or should be or anything much, and I remember some spin-off meetings where these things were debated and one person thought that calling something Surrealism was a bad idea. Another thought that groups were an entirely wrong way to go about things, he was entirely opposed to groups in favour of networks. We were confronted with the strange idea of a non-surrealist non-group. 

The thing is, many people approach this sort of proposal with very fixed ideas and stuff like facts scarcely impinge upon them and the thought of how Surrealism might really relate to Situationist ideas and practice, the structure and purpose of conspiracies or how it might change the way one understands art. You might be somebody with an open and enquiring mind who comes across similar people who share a passion for Surrealism and perhaps then you are well on your way. 

There are various things to be considered however, for instance, the fundamental ideas of Surrealism, how it developed historically, where the fault-lines in surrealist theory might be (probably not where you'd expect) and the limitations of contemporary practice. So here's what I thought I'd do. I'll carry on writing a series of blog posts under this general title, exploring these basic ideas, inviting comments, and then I might add to, or edit the posts according to any comments I get. If you bother to read this at all, you might wish to comment or ask questions and I might do a Q&A post. If nobody says anything, I may or may not continue, according to my whim.