GALs and a great group Corpse

Recently, many of us Collab Studio students have been posting entries that explore the very nature, frequency, subtlety, and necessity of collective endeavors. Our opinions on collaborations have spanned frustration, appreciation, submission, and apathy. In near-end attempt to cultivate collectiveness, we students have joined forces to create this week's blog entry. After all, couldn't a goal of this class be to gauge the worth of collective compared to individual works? Shouldn't one blog post from the fruits of joined labor be worth something equal the pithy efforts of five independent entries?

For this post the gang joined together to create an Exquisite Corpse-style story string. Participants include Brianna, Elana, Farolyn, Jenna, and Nikki. All writers authored equal parts and worked together to deauthor what we wrote. We bet you can't tell who wrote what.

Enjoy!


XOXO, Graduate Collaborative Students of Fall, 2008

One sunny day five ladies were walking down 17th Street in Washington, DC. There names were Brianna, Elana, Farolyn, Jenna, and Nikki. While these girls appeared normal - awesome, but fairly normal- they were actually quite unusual. They were actually the members of a city-renowned crime fighting team! The team was called the Girl Art League. The Girl Art Leaguers (GALs) had super art powers that they discovered after being subjected to a mysterious 'gas' leak by the White House. The GALs decided to use their heightened art making powers to solve crime in their beloved city. Today they would have to use their powers again.

All of a sudden, the ladies' stroll was interrupted by a loud BOOM sound! They spun around to look at the Mall. There they saw the most terrible thing they could imagine: an invasion of geikos trampling the many outer-towners on mopeds. The GALs spun into action with Crayola gel markers in each hand. The laser girls were determined to fight the crime that submerged the city and surrender the geikos to the secret service men that stood in amazement. Once within reach of the ingenious creatures, the girls blasted into action using their super art powers to capture the geikos. Within seconds, the Gals nabbed the geikos and stuffed hundreds in neon printed canvas bags. They thanked the visitors for their cooperation and tapped their heels. As they turned to leave, the bewildered outer-towners exploded in anger. A 97 year old man yelled, "GET THEM! THEY HAVE STOLEN OUR CAR INSURANCE MASCOT!" The team was caught off guard. Out of anger the crazed visitors charged at the GALs. As five million geiko groupies stormed the mall, the GALS had no other choice but to activate their secret weapon of mass devastation.

While Elana, Nikki, Brianna, and Farolyn fought off the mob with clay balls, Crayola gel markers and chicken wire, Jenna teleported to Studio 88 located in Robot, NY in hopes to reach the world renown scholar, Mr. Mark Cameron Boyd. He is known for discovering the deadliest weapon of all time, pomegranate seeds. While Jenna attempts to locate the scholar she checks in with the team via hologram. The girls are comforted by her presence amidst the chaos. "We need help Jenna, we are running out of resources!" the team shouts. Jenna responds, "In a moment the glass shrine and yellow...." The connection is interrupted.

From their jail cell, the remaining GAL members wondered if they would ever be rescued. Where was Jenna? Had she successfully found the one person that could help them?! Every time the heavy wooden door creaked open to the holding cell the girls waited with anticipation. Every time they were greeted by another unfriendly guardsman. The girls began to despair. Concrete never seemed so cold. Iron bars and cement blocks surrounded them in gray. The GAL members began to think the world had lost its color permanently. Perhaps this was all a part of the master evil plan to run the world by controlling our automotive vehicles. Turning the entire world into a massive gray interstate. Paving our world one strip at a time in order to control our minds and our creativity. The GALs could not survive in a world with no color. Their powers would be useless in a land without creativity. But who could be behind this evil mastery?

As the girls sat in the cell pondering how to escape, Jenna and Mark's solution began to take action. Back in Robot, NY, a mixture of post-post-contemporary art theory and creative magic began to formulate into super power possibilities the GALs had never known. Though Jenna had lost connection, her plan was already in action and Nikki suddenly evaporated from the cell, leaving the other GALs in disbelief.

Moments later, there was a spark and the three others disappeared in rapid succession, before the guard could take notice. Shocked and steaming a bit, the girls found themselves in a new and strange place, all looking at each other for answers.

Farolyn pulled out some leftover gel markers and drew on the wall to illuminate the space. It was a dark and damp tunnel, with no end or beginning in sight. As the GALs began to make their way in one direction, a fuzzy static sounded from Elana's holographic transmitter. She pulled it out quickly and the GALs huddled around to see a blurry image of Jenna. "Where are we?!" they asked her. As Farolyn looked around at the tunnel walls, she began to see faded painting and drawings. Though Jenna was trying to communicate, it was difficult for the GALs to get a clear reception. Suddenly Farolyn made the connection and realized what Jenna was trying to say...They were in the infamous underground tunnel between the Corcoran and the White House! The GALs looked at each other in excitement--they had been wondering about this place! Just before cutting out completely again, however, Jenna gave them some bad news as well--the tunnel had been sealed for the past 8 years, and it was up to them to re-open the channels of creativity once again.

What were the GALs to do?! the Evil Mastermind Czar Zincat had set them up. He had planted the Geikos knowing the GALs would rush to the rescue. He had brainwashed and shipped in the 5million angry tourists knowing that the GALs could never defend themselves against such a formidable force. And now they were stuck in limbo between the white house and the source of their powers. Czar Zincat had already begun sapping the world of color and creativity. The brainwashed tourists would remain angry for all time without color. The anger would spread and without creativity and Czar Zincat would finally be able to rule the world! Things were looking pretty bleak to the GALs.

What Czar Zincat had not anticipated was the power of GAL creativity. Even without color, their joint creative superpower could defeat the Evil ruler. With the help of MCB, Jenna was able to locate the glass shrine which held the glowing yellow tube of paint. She had the power, but without the connection to her friends, she was losing the creativity of the collective. She didn't know what to do with this glowing key. She needed to contact the GALs, but how?!

Meanwhile, the girls in the tunnel could sense that the time apart could be sapping Jenna of her energy. They knew that they had been teleported and maybe if they reversed the streams they could teleport Jenna to the tunnel. Elana used her tech savvy to quickly rewire her hologram telecommunicator. The girls held their breath and turned on the device. Instantly Jenna appeared in the darkness. Even she had began to fade and lose her color.

Elated that they were reunited and in control of the magic paint. They began to paint the tunnel a glowing shade of yellow. The light emitted was so intense it burst open the doors of the tunnel and illuminated both the Corcoran and the White House. With the light came creativity and knowledge. The light awoke the President from his angry and lethargic stupor. With the help of his secret Panel of Corcoran professors, the President was able to find the evil Czar Zincat and lock him away for good.