Esoteric Game Night!

PRS Esoteric Game Night!

Come one, come all! Test your luck at esoteric & historic, family-friendly games of chance & skill! On the third evening of the third week of every moon (third Wednesday of the month) PRS will be shuffling tarot cards & rolling many-sided dice at our new monthly gathering in the bookstore, PRS Esoteric Game Night!

Each month we will be featuring (& playing) a family-friendly card, board or parlour game of esoteric & historic note.

AUGUST'S GAME

Le Cadavre Exquis

(The Exquisite Corpse)

This technique of group text construction, invented by the Surrealists circa 1918, was based on a written word parlour game called Consequences, which is similar to the modern game of Mad Libs.

André Breton stated that Le Cadavre Exquis began as a diversion but quickly became quite amusing and soon after even an enriching mirror into the Surrealist collective.

The Exquisite Corpse didn't stop growing there either. It abandoned the constraints of language entirely and, while retaining its name, fully realized itself (also based on other parlour games) as a drawing exercise, a purely visual technique, and the most famous Surrealist game ever.

HOW TO PLAY

Technique écrite

The players sit around a table and each writes on a sheet of paper a definite or indefinite article and an adjective, making sure their neighbours cannot see them. The sheets are folded so as to conceal the words, and passed round to the next player. Each player then writes a noun, conceals it, and the process is repeated with a verb, another definite or indefinite article and adjective, and finally another noun. The paper is unfolded and the sentences read out. Players may agree small changes to ensure grammatical consistency.

The game acquired its name from the first sentence obtained in this way:

Le cadavre exquis boira le vin nouveau.

The exquisite corpse shall drink the new wine.

Technique visuelle

This, the most celebrated Surrealist game of all, is based on the same principle as that of the written 'exquisite corpse'. Its parlour game equivalent is Heads, Bodies and Legs in English and Petits Papiers in France.

Each player receives a sheet of paper and folds it into equal sections, as many as there are players, and usually with the lines horizontal to the proposed picture. The sheets are smoothed out and each player draws whatever they will in the top section, allowing the lines to cross the crease by a few millimeters. The sheet is then refolded back onto this crease to conceal the drawing and passed to the next player who begins the next section from these lines. And so on, until the last section, when it is unfolded and the result revealed.

(The sheet may be passed back for the first player to furnish it with a title before the picture is revealed.)

—excerpts from A Book of Surrealist Games compiled by Alastair Brotchie

Other games will also be available to play such as the Tarot of Loka, Cat's Cradle, Rebirth: The Tibetan Game of Liberation & more.

And yes, you are always welcome to bring your own games to share. Make new friends & dismember the unruly escargot!

Tickets: $10 Suggested Donation or RSVP and donate at the door!

Please email events@prs.org or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions.

ACCESSIBILITY

PRS wants all guests to be able to enjoy our events safely and comfortably. If you require any accessibility accommodation, please reach out to events@prs.org before showtime and we will be happy to assist you.

REFUND POLICIES

All sales are final. There are no refunds or exchanges for PRS events, except in the event of a medical emergency, including but not limited to a positive COVID-19 test.

In the event that PRS is forced to cancel an event entirely, tickets will be refunded or vouchers offered for a rescheduled event.

PARKING

Limited parking is available onsite at PRS in both the front lot (entry from Los Feliz Blvd. when heading east) and back lot (entry from first alley way, off Griffith Park Blvd. from intersection with Los Feliz Blvd.), as well as street parking on Griffith Park Blvd. and on Los Feliz Blvd. (after 7pm). We encourage attendees to consider carpooling, walking or biking to events if possible, and please be considerate of our Los Feliz neighbors when parking.

PRS EVENT POLICIES

• We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.
• Events are subject to change without notice, including guest speakers and/or performers.
• We encourage you to arrive at least 30 min. before the scheduled event start time to find parking, enjoy the Bookstore and take your seats.
• Please turn off all mobile devices before the show. Talking and texting are not allowed during the events.
• No filming, audio recording or mobile phone recording of events, screenings, concerts or other programs by audience members is allowed without permission.
• There is no smoking permitted on PRS grounds.
• We strongly encourage guests to wear masks to PRS events to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
• PRS allows Service Animals into the facility under ADA and state guidelines. For further details please visit www.ADA.gov. No animals permitted whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support, under ADA guidelines and CA Health Code.
• Please do not bring outside food or drink into PRS events.
• Weapons are strictly prohibited at PRS events.

The views, opinions, and thoughts expressed by presenters are solely those of the presenter and may not represent those of the Philosophical Research Society (PRS), its affiliates, or any individuals associated with PRS. Presentations are intended for informational and entertainment purposes.