MANIP
​CARTE BLANCHE TO MAGALI CHOUINARD 
 
Magali Chouinard is a multidisciplinary artist who, since 2008, has been merging her visual arts practice with puppetry. Her current project, soul mates—the illustrated book, alternating between symbolism and surrealism—intertwines illustrations and photographs of puppets, including photos of the main character and full-body puppet of the Wild Child. While some panels are more contemplative and present the Child interacting with others, others (inspired by her research into the performative body, animated film, and the works of Eadweard Muybridge) take the time to simply reveal the beauty of the body in motion. The cover artwork depicts the Child, intensely connected to their senses as they are immersed, and discover the sensation of water caressing their body. As such, the puppetry illustrated book sets out to portray the character’s psyche, moods, and senses, as they are engaged throughout their journey. Through this wordless narrative, Magali Chouinard seeks to represent the subtle dimensions of the character’s wanderings and the enormous inner turmoil experienced in the solitary territory of Childhood.