Surrealist Photography Brainstorm

Read. A manifesto is a public declaration, often political in nature,

of a group or individuals principles, beliefs, and intended courses of
action. To begin this activity, read Andr Bretons First Manifesto of
Surrealism (1924).

FirstSurrealistManifesto
FromLeManifesteduSurralisme,1924
ANDRBRETON

Wearestilllivingunderthereignoflogic,but
thelogicalprocessesofourtimeapplyonlyto
thesolutionofproblemsofsecondaryinterest.
Theabsoluterationalismwhichremainsin
fashionallowsfortheconsiderationofonly
thosefactsnarrowlyrelevanttoourexperience.
Logicalconclusions,ontheotherhand,escape
us.Needlesstosay,boundarieshavebeen
assignedeventoexperience.Itrevolvesina
cagefromwhichreleaseisbecoming
increasinglydifficult.Ittoodependsupon
immediateutilityandisguardedbycommon
sense.Intheguiseofcivilization,underthe
pretextofprogress,wehavesucceededin
dismissingfromourmindsanythingthat,rightly
orwrongly,couldberegardedassuperstitionor
myth;andwehaveproscribedeverywayof
seekingthetruthwhichdoesnotconformto
convention.Itwouldappearthatitisbysheer
chancethatanaspectofintellectuallifeandby
farthemostimportantinmyopinionabout
whichnoonewassupposedtobeconcernedany
longerhas,recently,beenbroughtbacktolight.
CreditforthismustgotoFreud.Ontheevidence
ofhisdiscoveriesacurrentofopinionisatlast
developingwhichwillenabletheexplorerofthe
humanmindtoextendhisinvestigations,since
hewillbeempoweredtodealwithmorethan
merelysummaryrealities.Perhapsthe
imaginationisonthevergeofrecoveringits
rights.Ifthedepthsofourmindsconcealstrange
forcescapableofaugmentingorconquering
thoseonthesurface,itisinourgreatestinterest
tocapturethem;firsttocapturethemandlaterto
submitthem,shouldtheoccasionarise,tothe
controlofreason.Theanalyststhemselvescan

onlygainbythis.Butitisimportanttonote
thatthereisnomethodfixedaprioriforthe
executionofthisenterprise,thatuntilthenew
orderitcanbeconsideredtheprovinceofpoets
aswellasscholars,andthatitssuccessdoesnot
dependuponthemoreorlesscapriciousroutes
whichwillbefollowed.
ItwasonlyfittingthatFreudshouldappearwith
hiscritiqueonthedream.Infact,itisincredible
thatthisimportantpartofpsychicactivityhas
stillattractedsolittleattention.(For,atleast
fromman'sbirthtohisdeath,thoughtpresents
nosolutionofcontinuity;thesumofdreaming
momentseventakingintoconsiderationpure
dreamalone,thatofsleepisfromthepointof
viewoftimenolessthanthesumofmomentsof
reality,whichweshallconfinetowaking
moments.)Ihavealwaysbeenastoundedbythe
extremedisproportionintheimportanceand
seriousnessassignedtoeventsofthewaking
momentsandtothoseofsleepbytheordinary
observer.Man,whenheceasestosleep,isabove
allatthemercyofhismemory,andthememory
normallydelightsinfeeblyretracingthe
circumstanceofthedreamforhim,deprivingit
ofallactualconsequenceandobliteratingthe
onlydeterminantfromthepointatwhichhe
thinksheabandonedthisconstanthope,this
anxiety,afewhoursearlier.Hehastheillusion
ofcontinuingsomethingworthwhile.Thedream
findsitselfrelegatedtoaparenthesis,likethe
night.Andingeneralitgivesnomorecounsel
thanthenight.Thissingularstateofaffairs
seemstoinviteafewreflections:

Surrealist Photography Brainstorm

1.Withinthelimitstowhichitsperformanceis
restricted(orwhatpassesforperformance),the
dream,accordingtoalloutwardappearances,is
continuousandbearstracesoforganization.
Onlymemoryclaimstherighttoeditit,to
suppresstransitionsandpresentuswithaseries
ofdreamsratherthanthedream.Similarly,atno
giveninstantdowehavemorethanadistinct
representationofrealitieswhosecoordinationis
amatterofwill.(1)Itisimportanttonotethat
nothingleadstoagreaterdissipationofthe
constituentelementsofthedream.Iregret
discussingthisaccordingtoaformulawhichin
principleexcludesthedream.Forhowlong,
sleepinglogicians,philosophers?Iwouldliketo
sleepinordertoenablemyselftosurrenderto
sleepers,asIsurrendertothosewhoreadme
withtheireyesopen,inordertostopthe
consciousrhythmofmythoughtfromprevailing
overthismaterial.Perhapsmydreamoflast
nightwasacontinuationoftheprecedingnight's,
andwillbecontinuedtonightwithanadmirable
precision.Itcouldbe,astheysay.Andasitisin
nowayproventhat,insuchacase,the'reality'
withwhichIamconcernedevenexistsinthe
dreamstate,orthatitdoesnotsinkintothe
immemorial,thenwhyshouldInotconcedeto
thedreamwhatIsometimesrefusetoreality
thatweightofselfassurancewhichbyitsown
termsisnotexposedtomydenial?WhyshouldI
notexpectmoreofthedreamsignthanIdoofa
dailyincreasingdegreeofconsciousness?Could
notthedreamsaswellbeappliedtothesolution
oflife'sfundamentalproblems?Arethese
problemsthesameinonecaseasintheother,
anddotheyalreadyexistinthedream?Isthe
dreamlessoppressedbysanctionsthantherest?
Iamgrowingoldand,perhapsmorethanthis
realitytowhichIbelievemyselfconfined,itis
thedream,andthedetachmentthatIowetoit,
whichisageingme.
2Ireturntothewakingstate.Iamobligedto
retainitasaphenomenonofinterference.Not
onlydoesthemindshowastrangetendencyto
disorientationundertheseconditions(thisisthe
cluetoslipsofthetongueandlapsesofallkinds
whosesecretisjustbeginningtobesurrendered
tous),butwhenfunctioningnormallythemind
stillseemstoobeynoneotherthanthose
suggestionswhichrisefromthatdeepnightIam
commending.Soundasitmaybe,itsequilibrium
isrelative.Themindhardlydaresexpressitself

and,whenitdoes,islimitedtostatingthatthis
ideaorthatwomanhasaneffectonit.What
effectitcannotsay;thusitgivesthemeasureof
itssubjectivismandnothingmore.Theidea,the
woman,disturbsit,disposesittolessseverity.
Theirroleistoisolateonesecondofits
discappearanceandremoveittotheskyinthat
gloriousaccelerationthatitcanbe,thatitis.
Then,asalastresort,themindinvokeschance
amoreobscuredivinitythantheothersto
whomitattributesallitsaberrations.Whosays
thattheanglefromwhichthatideaispresented
whichaffectsthemind,aswellaswhatthemind
lovesinthatwoman'seye,isnotpreciselythe
samethingthatattractsthemindtoitsdreamand
reunitesitwithdatalostthroughitsownerror?
Andifthingswereotherwise,ofwhatmightthe
mindnotbecapable?Ishouldliketopresentit
withthekeytothatpassage.
3Themindofthedreamingmanisfully
satisfiedwithwhateverhappenstoit.The
agonizingquestionofpossibilitydoesnotarise.
Kill,plundermorequickly,loveasmuchasyou
wish.Andifyoudie,areyounotsureofbeing
rousedfromthedead?Letyourselfbeled.
Eventswillnottoleratedeferment.Youhaveno
name.EverythingIsinestimablyeasy.
Whatpower,Iwonder,whatpowersomuch
moregenerousthanothersconfersthisnatural
aspectuponthedreamandmakesmewelcome
unreservedlyathrongofepisodeswhose
strangenesswouldoverwhelmmeiftheywere
happeningasIwritethis?AndyetIcanbelieve
itwithmyowneyes,myownears.Thatgreat
dayhascome,thatbeasthasspoken.
Ifman'sawakeningisharsher,ifhebreaksthe
spelltoowell,itisbecausehehasbeenledto
formapoorideaofexpiation.
4Whenthetimecomeswhenwecansubmit
thedreamtoamethodicalexamination,whenby
methodsyettobedeterminedwesucceedin
realizingthedreaminitsentirety(andthat
impliesamemorydisciplinemeasurablein
generations,butwecanstillbeginbyrecording
salientfacts),whenthedream'scurveis
developedwithanunequalledbreadthand
regularity,thenwecanhopethatmysteries
whicharenotreallymysterieswillgivewayto

Surrealist Photography Brainstorm

thegreatMystery.Ibelieveinthefuture
resolutionofthesetwostatesoutwardlyso
contradictorywhicharedreamandreality,
intoasortofabsolutereality,asurreality,soto
speak,Iamaimingforitsconquest,certainthatI
myselfshallnotattainit,buttooindifferentto
mydeathnottocalculatethejoysofsuch
possession.
Theysaythatnotlongago,justbeforehewent
tosleep,SaintPolRouxplacedaplacardonthe
doorofhismanoratCamaretwhichread:THE
POETWORKS.
Thereisstillagreatdealtosay,butIdidwantto
touchlightly,inpassing,uponasubjectwhichin
itselfwouldrequireaverylongexpositionwitha
differentprecision.Ishallreturntoit.Forthe
timebeingmyintentionhasbeentoseethat
justicewasdonetothathatredofthemarvellous
whichragesincertainmen,thatridiculeunder
whichtheywouldliketocrushit.Letusresolve,
therefore:theMarvellousisalwaysbeautiful,
everythingmarvellousisbeautiful.Nothingbut
theMarvellousisbeautiful.
...Onenight,beforefallingasleep,Ibecame
awareofamostbizarresentence,clearly
articulatedtothepointwhereitwasimpossible
tochangeawordofit,butstillseparatefromthe
soundofanyvoice.Itcametomebearingno
traceoftheeventswithwhichIwasinvolvedat
thattime,atleasttomyconsciousknowledge.It
seemedtomeahighlyinsistentsentencea
sentence,Imightsay,whichknockedatthe
window.Iquicklytooknoteofitandwas
preparedtodisregarditwhensomethingabout
itswholecharacterheldmeback.Thesentence
trulyastoundedme.UnfortunatelyIstillcannot
remembertheexactwordstothisday,butitwas
somethinglike:'Amaniscutinhalfbythe
window';butitcanonlysufferfromambiguity,
accompaniedasitwasbythefeeblevisual
representationofawalkingmancutinhalfbya
windowperpendiculartotheaxisofhisbody.^
Itwasprobablyasimplematterofaman
leaningonthewindowandthenstraighteningup.
Butthewindowfollowedthemovementsofthe
man,andIrealizedthatIwasdealingwithavery
raretypeofimage.ImmediatelyIhadtheideaof
incorporatingitintomypoeticmaterial,butno
soonerhadIinvesteditwithpoeticformthanit
wentontogivewaytoascarcelyintermittent

successionofsentenceswhichsurprisedmeno
lessthanthefirstandgavemetheimpressionof
suchafreegiftthatthecontrolwhichIhadhad
overmyselfuptothatpointseemedillusoryand
Inolongerthoughtofanythingbuthowtoputan
endtotheinterminablequarrelwhichwastaking
placewithinme.(3)
TotallyinvolvedasIwasatthetimewithFreud,
andfamiliarwithhismethodsofexamination
whichIhadhadsomeoccasiontopractiseonthe
sickduringthewar,Iresolvedtoobtainfrom
myselfwhatoneseekstoobtainfromapatient
aspokenmonologueutteredasrapidlyas
possible,overwhichthecriticalfacultyofthe
subjecthasnocontrol,unencumberedbyany
reticence,whichisspokenthoughtasfarassuch
athingispossible.Itseemedtome,andstill
doesthemannerinwhichthesentenceabout
themancutintwocametomeprovesitthat
thespeedofthoughtisnogreaterthanthatof
words,andthatitdoesnotnecessarilydefy
languageorthemovingpen.Itwaswiththisin
mindthatPhilippeSoupault(withwhomIhad
sharedthesefirstconclusions)andIundertookto
coversomepaperwithwriting,withalaudable
contemptforwhatmightresultintermsof
literature.Theeaseofrealizationdidtherest.At
theendofthefirstdaywewereabletoreadto
eachotheraroundfiftypagesobtainedbythis
method,andbegantocompareourresults.
Altogether,thoseofSoupaultandmyown
presentedaremarkablesimilarity,evenincluding
thesamefaultsinconstruction:inbothcases
therewastheillusionofanextraordinaryverve,
agreatdealofemotion,aconsiderable
assortmentofimagesofaqualitysuchaswe
wouldneverhavebeencapableofachievingin
ordinarywriting,averyvividgraphicquality,
andhereandthereanacutelycomicpassage.
Theonlydifferencebetweenourtextsseemedto
meessentiallyduetoourrespectivenatures
(Soupault'sislessstaticthanmine)and,ifImay
hazardaslightcriticism,duetothefactthathe
hadmadethemistakeofdistributingafewwords
inthewayoftitlesattheheadofcertainpages
nodoubtinthespiritofmystification.Onthe
otherhand,Imustgivehimcreditfor
maintaininghissteadfastoppositiontothe
slightestalterationinthecourseofanypassage
whichseemedtomeratherbadlyput.Hewas
completelyrightonthispoint,ofcourse.(4)In
factitisverydifficulttoappreciatethefullvalue

Surrealist Photography Brainstorm

ofthevariouselementswhenconfrontedby
them.Itcanevenbesaidtobeimpossibleto
appreciatethematthefirstreading.These
elementsareoutwardlyasstrangetoyouwho
havewrittenthemastoanyoneelse,andyouare
naturallydistrustfulofthem.Poeticallyspeaking,
theyareespeciallyendowedwithaveryhigh
degreeofimmediateabsurdity.Thepeculiarity
ofthisabsurdity,oncloserexamination,comes
fromtheircapitulationtoeverythingboth
inadmissibleandlegitimateIntheworld,to
producearevelationofacertainnumberof
premisesandfactsgenerallynolessobjective
thananyothers.
InhomagetoGuillaumeApollinairewhodied
recently,andwhoappearstohaveconsistently
obeyedasimilarimpulsetoourswithoutever
reallysacrificingmediocreliterarymeans
SoupaultandIusedthenameSURREALISMto
designatethenewmodeofpureexpression
whichwehadatourdisposalandwithwhichwe
wereanxioustobenefitourfriends.TodayIdo
notbelieveanythingmoreneedbesaidabout
thisword.Themeaningwhichwehavegivenit
hasgenerallyprevailedoverApollinaire's
meaning.Withevenmorejustificationwecould
haveusedSUPERNATURALISM,employedby
GerarddeNervalinthededicationofFillesde
Feu.(5)Infact,Nervalappearstohavepossessed
toanadmirableextentthespirittowhichwe
refer.Apollinaire,ontheotherhand,possessed
onlytheletterofsurrealism(whichwasstill
imperfect)andshowedhimselfpowerlessto
giveitthetheoreticalinsightthatengagesus.
HerearetwopassagesbyNervalwhichappear
mostsignificantinthisregard:

findthemattheendofthevolume.Theyare
hardlymoreobscurethanHegel'smetaphysicsor
Swedenborg'sMEMORABLES,andwouldlose
theircharminexplication,ifsuchathingwere
possible,soconcedemeatleastthemeritoftheir
expression...'(6)
Itwouldbedishonesttodisputeourrightto
employthewordSURREALISMinthevery
particularsenseinwhichweintendit,foritis
clearthatbeforewecamealongthisword
amountedtonothing.ThusIshalldefineitonce
andforall:
SURREALISM,noun,masc.,Purepsychic
automatismbywhichitisintendedtoexpress,
eitherverballyorinwriting,thetruefunctionof
thought.Thoughtdictatedintheabsenceofall
controlexertedbyreason,andoutsideall
aestheticormoralpreoccupations.
ENCYCL.Philos.Surrealismisbasedonthe
beliefinthesuperiorrealityofcertainformsof
associationheretoforeneglected,inthe
omnipotenceofthedream,andinthe
disinterestedplayofthought.Itleadstothe
permanentdestructionofallotherpsychic
mechanismsandtoitssubstitutionforthemin
thesolutionoftheprincipalproblemsoflife.

'Iwillexplaintoyou,mydearDumas,the
phenomenonofwhichyouspokeabove.Asyou
know,therearecertainstorytellerswhocannot
inventwithoutidentifyingthemselveswiththe
charactersfromtheirimagination.Youknow
withwhatconvictionouroldfriendNodiertold
howhehadhadthemisfortunetobeguillotined
atthetimeoftheRevolution;onebecameso
convincedthatonewonderedhowhehad
managedtostickhisheadbackon.'
'...Andsinceyouhavehadtheimprudenceto
citeoneofthesonnetscomposedinthisstateof
SUPERNATURALISTreverie,astheGermans
v/ouldsay,youmusthearallofthem.Youwill

Surrealist Photography Brainstorm

Write. Now its your turn. Compose your own one-page manifesto in the form of an
essay or a poem. Your manifesto should include a series of statements that address your
point of view on questions such as:
What do you value?
What inspires you?
How would you describe your attitude or approach to creativity?
What changes would you like to see in the world?
It is helpful to begin the statements in your manifesto with actions such as:
I amI believeI hopeI wish to changeI willI will not
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Draw. Use this space to sketch out TWO DIFFERENT IDEAS for a Surrealist style
photograph. This photograph can be a scene you set up, or something you create
digitally.