According to the ever reliable Wikipedia, "Exquisite corpse ... is a method by which a collection of words or images is collectively assembled … Each collaborator adds to a composition in sequence, either by following a rule … or by being allowed to see the end of what the previous person contributed."

An odd yet potentially fitting approach to storytelling in the age of social media and digital creation—facts not lost on the animators and producers at New Zealand based Cirkus.

They launched their own exquisite corpse (exquisitecorpse.co.nz) as a way to draw attention to their studio, while fostering experimental approaches to the development of animation.

It began in February 2009 as a small animated piece that invited anyone to suggest the next leg of the storyline.

According to Cirkus, "Every month we choose one of the stories that have come in through the exquisite corpse website. We start off with a storyboard and come up with shots that honor the random nature of the project. The storyline determines our workflow, but also the amount of people available and their expertise."

As it’s grown, viewers can still make written suggestions for future segments, but Cirkus has also made the raw animation material accessible via FTP (click here to watch the video instructions).

In other words, the the corpse has gone open source.

"Being an exquisite corpse, anything goes, really.  We use 3D and 2D animation mixed with stop motion.  Art direction is totally open to what the animator, compositor or you want. As of late, students are joining Cirkus to work on the episodes – a great opportunity to gain some industry experience."

Cirkus in now working on its 9th episode (watch the first seven in the video below), and in 2010, the finished project will be turned into a music video.

For more information, visit exquisitecorpse.co.nz or cirkus.co.nz.