Cadavre Exquis, Photographing in Continuity

Pre-sale of the book — Photographing in Continuity. 78 authors who used the surrealist method Cadavre Exquis. A picture is not always worth a thousand words!

All contributions are welcome. Contributions over 29 euros will receive a copy of the book, which will be printed with two "Tête-Bêche" covers. Story (a) and (b).

I write with great enthusiasm to present a unique project I coordinated: a photographic "Cadavre Exquis." This creative project features the participation of 78 artists, many of whom are well-known. See the LIST here .

I have deep gratitude and respect for the professional photographers whose work I witnessed over 34 years in two different newsrooms (Jornal Expresso and Jornal Público). They played a fundamental role in my professional trajectory as a designer and avid photography enthusiast.

"Cadavre Exquis" Photographic – A Centennial Celebration (1925-2025)

Inspired by the inventive method of the Surrealist Movement in France, which turns 100 in 2025, I challenged 145 "Unwary Cadaveric Authors"—including photographers, designers, writers, journalists, and musicians—to create a "Photographic Cadaver." The response was enthusiastic, with 78 participants embracing this adventure, while 18 declined for various reasons, and 48 did not respond.

I structured the experiment into two parallel narratives, each involving 40 participants over 40 weeks. The order in which each author appeared on stage was determined by drawing lots. See the Table here .

Begun on September 1, 2024, this long journey culminated in the second week of July 2025 with the final contribution of writer Rui Cardoso Martins.

To contextualize, "Cadavre Exquis," born within French Surrealism in 1925, proposed subverting literary conventions through sequential collaboration. The first author would write a sentence, folding the paper to hide everything except the last word, which served as the starting point for the next. This process explored the collective imagination, the irrational, and poetry, often culminating in surprising and unexpected results. The opening sentence, "Cadavre exquis boira le vin nouveau," ended up giving its name to the game itself, which transcends literature to influence other art forms.

As we know, our Mário Cesariny was a central and inescapable figure in Portuguese Surrealism, recognized as one of its greatest exponents. His meeting with the founder of French Surrealism, André Breton, in Paris in 1947, was a defining moment in his life and work.

In this photographic adaptation I coordinated, each author contributed a captioned photograph, a title, and a brief biography. Unaware of the other participants' work or the project as a whole, each author received the previous one's image, continuing it in the week they were drawn.

The experience was extraordinarily rewarding, with each weekend bringing the exciting anticipation and joy of welcoming two new entries. I firmly believe that this collaborative process resulted in a "Creative Object" of high quality.

By the Book will publish the book with the results of this project, which I consider excellent news. I'm also currently trying to find a location for a photography exhibition.

I'd like to know if you're interested in supporting this publication. All contributions over 29 euros will receive a free copy of the book. Get involved!

Sorteio que determinou a ordem de entrada em cena dos participantes

About the author

Jorge Barbosa — His love for graphic design and typography began while attending António Arroio School. He says it remains in his veins to this day, now also in digital form!

Under the guidance of Professor Vitor da Silva, he joined the graphics department of the newspaper "Expresso." He then received further training at IADE (Institute of Visual Arts, Design, and Marketing) and photography at Ar.Co (Center for Art and Visual Communication). In the late 1980s, he was a proud member of the founding team of the newspaper "Público," where he remained until 1998. Upon returning to the editorial staff of "Expresso," he also created the magazine Courrier Internacional (the Portuguese version of the Parisian Courrier International). In total, thirty-three years of editorial graphic design.
He currently works at the Monastery of S. Vicente de Fora / Patriarchate of Lisbon, where he founded the Monastery's Communications Office. He was responsible for the design and implementation of the new signage.

Budget and due dates

Once the €2,700 goal is reached, the funds will be sent in full to the publisher By the Book. This amount corresponds to more printed copies, as the primary goal is to print more. These copies will then be distributed to those who contribute €29 or more. The book's delivery date has not yet been set; everything will depend on the progress of the fundraising process.

This campaign will be active until November 5, 2025.

Images