An online collaborative art project, This Exquisite Forest, conceived by Chris Milk and Aaron Koblin launched today at www.exquisiteforest.com. The project, presented by Tate and Google, enables people to create short animations that grow from each other’s contributions, and can be accessed online. The result is a collection of branching narratives resembling trees.To launch the project, seven artists (Miroslaw Balka, Olafur Eliasson, Dryden Goodwin, Raqib Shaw, Julian Opie, Mark Titchner, and Bill Woodrow) have created a series of short animation sequences using a web-based drawing tool. The project takes inspiration from the Surrealist idea of the equistite corpse, a creative exercise where one person begins a drawing or starts a sentence, before being passed on to others. The collaborative drawing technique is thus reinvented for a global online community. Jane Burton, Head of Content and Creative Director, Tate Media, said “Now more than ever, new web technologies allow the museum to be a place where ideas, experiences and opinions about art and culture are exchanged. With this project we aim to bring art to an ever wider global audience and to inspire people to respond creatively. We’re delighted to be continuing our pioneering work with Google in bringing together artists, Tate audiences, and an online community. A physical installation at Tate Modern in London, then opens on 23 July.
To see a video about the making of This Exquisite Forest, visit www.exquisiteforest.com/about/technology.