THE WHITE WOMAN
Visual and poetic performance with puppets and mask
VIDEO – July 2012 - Festival international de Jazz de Montréal
|
|
|
Photos: Jean-Guy Lambert, Isabelle L'Italien, Patrick Argirakis, Marie Beauchemin, Francine Lalonde, Catherine Passerieux, Tania Lotan, Manon Béland, Larissa Techer, Blaise Dala, Jean Cleary, Christine Casselini ...
With The White Woman, Magali Chouinard takes a tender look at how solitude can be a special place, a place where we can discover and rediscover ourselves.
By daring to be silent, to move slowly and deliberately, and by steering away from a linear narrative, she empowers her visual poetry. She captivates and moves her audience with a succession of images and allegories.
The White Woman is an acutely sensitive presence, a visual poetry where silence touches the soul and evokes the beauty of profound solitude and the relationship to oneself.
In a series of living pictures, the character – all at once adult, young girl and old woman, wolf and raven – will reveal her may aspects in shadow and light.
Without words – All audiences
Creation, direction, scenography and interpretation: Magali Chouinard
Acting coach: Marthe Adam / Creative collaboration: Richard Morin, Emmanuelle Calvé & Jean Cummings
PRESS FILE
“The puppets here are used to explore the world of visual and performance arts. We were charmed by the objects that emerged from Magali Chouinard’s large suitcase: there’s a poetic flair about The White Woman, an outdoor performance that nurtures an oddly ambiguous atmosphere that we hope you will have the chance to experience for yourself.”
Michel Bélair, Le Devoir, Once again, objects possess a soul!
***
“The White Woman performance by Magali Chouinard is based in part on a close relationship between performer, matter and viewer. In a public setting, the artist shares an intimate moment through a succession of images and allegories rather than by following a linear narrative. The performance is centred around a character as she reveals her world so small that it fits in a suitcase. A variety of literal or symbolic representations of herself in the form of puppets are drawn from the suitcase: a young girl, an old woman, a wolf, and a raven. A performance without words, The White Woman plays with imagery, black-and-white tones and contrast (everything is white except for the wolf and raven who are black), and the way in which objects relate to each other, allowing viewers to create their own layers of meaning. ”
Catherine Sirois, Marionnettes no. 4 / Taking the Side Roads: When Puppetry Goes off the Beaten Path
***
Magali Chouinard: The White Woman and the Poetry of Interiority
Saint-Lambert resident Magali Chouinard has traveled the world over the past three years with her solo, ambulatory performance without words. Festivals in Turkey, Spain and the United States have hosted The White Woman.
“I don’t actually tell a story. My approach is more abstract, without words or music. I work with the symbolism associated with interiority and solitude. The White Woman character is all at once a young girl, an old woman and an animal that share common grounds. She appeases and welcomes each of her inner selves, creating her own personal totem. When we accept all the elements that makes us who we are, we are complete.”
This contemplative approach allows the audience space to freely interpret the show in a personal way. Moreover, elements of the performance such as the wolf and the raven have different meanings from one country to another. “I’ve been told that there are many significant legends surrounding the White Woman character, and many have asked if they inspired my work.”
The artist’s visual arts background and experience as a high school teacher are reflected in her recent works. The White Woman, says Chouinard, stems from the idea of creating 3D drawings that can be manipulated as if they were “visual images in movement”.
“When I decided to explore puppetry arts, many elements of my work converged. It was quite an effervescent time because it fed my passion for black and white drawing, for sculpture and for the body in motion. Everything just came together.”
La marionnette, une poésie visuelle qui prend vie, Ali Dosti, Courrier du Sud, October 2015
***
…”Multidisciplinary artist Magali Chouinard explores solitude and self awareness in a performance without words. The creation's monochrome aesthetic borrows from a more visual arts or sculptural approach. In fact, this may very well be the crossroads where puppetry arts reside. The White Woman character is inspired by the mythical creatures of the Amerindian or European tales. Slowly, she reveals herself through certain movements. Then an Old Woman and a Child appear. She will carry this Child on her side just like a mother would, and also carry the various aspects of her personality represented by the Wolf and the Raven. Birds also appear, in the guise origami, and speak without saying a word. The stage direction is not the only aspect of this performance with a poetic sensitivity: A few of sentences from Chouinard's book of poetry (Théâtre d'ombres et de lumières - Shadow and Light Theatre). With a delicate hand and mush introspection, this White Woman born of a symbolic world arouses our interest and curiosity. We can only imagine the impact the artist must have when performing in the street.”
REVIEW by David Lefebvre – Mon (Theatre).qc.ca
TRADUCTION / TRANSLATION: Denise Babin @ denisebabin.com
By daring to be silent, to move slowly and deliberately, and by steering away from a linear narrative, she empowers her visual poetry. She captivates and moves her audience with a succession of images and allegories.
The White Woman is an acutely sensitive presence, a visual poetry where silence touches the soul and evokes the beauty of profound solitude and the relationship to oneself.
In a series of living pictures, the character – all at once adult, young girl and old woman, wolf and raven – will reveal her may aspects in shadow and light.
Without words – All audiences
Creation, direction, scenography and interpretation: Magali Chouinard
Acting coach: Marthe Adam / Creative collaboration: Richard Morin, Emmanuelle Calvé & Jean Cummings
PRESS FILE
“The puppets here are used to explore the world of visual and performance arts. We were charmed by the objects that emerged from Magali Chouinard’s large suitcase: there’s a poetic flair about The White Woman, an outdoor performance that nurtures an oddly ambiguous atmosphere that we hope you will have the chance to experience for yourself.”
Michel Bélair, Le Devoir, Once again, objects possess a soul!
***
“The White Woman performance by Magali Chouinard is based in part on a close relationship between performer, matter and viewer. In a public setting, the artist shares an intimate moment through a succession of images and allegories rather than by following a linear narrative. The performance is centred around a character as she reveals her world so small that it fits in a suitcase. A variety of literal or symbolic representations of herself in the form of puppets are drawn from the suitcase: a young girl, an old woman, a wolf, and a raven. A performance without words, The White Woman plays with imagery, black-and-white tones and contrast (everything is white except for the wolf and raven who are black), and the way in which objects relate to each other, allowing viewers to create their own layers of meaning. ”
Catherine Sirois, Marionnettes no. 4 / Taking the Side Roads: When Puppetry Goes off the Beaten Path
***
Magali Chouinard: The White Woman and the Poetry of Interiority
Saint-Lambert resident Magali Chouinard has traveled the world over the past three years with her solo, ambulatory performance without words. Festivals in Turkey, Spain and the United States have hosted The White Woman.
“I don’t actually tell a story. My approach is more abstract, without words or music. I work with the symbolism associated with interiority and solitude. The White Woman character is all at once a young girl, an old woman and an animal that share common grounds. She appeases and welcomes each of her inner selves, creating her own personal totem. When we accept all the elements that makes us who we are, we are complete.”
This contemplative approach allows the audience space to freely interpret the show in a personal way. Moreover, elements of the performance such as the wolf and the raven have different meanings from one country to another. “I’ve been told that there are many significant legends surrounding the White Woman character, and many have asked if they inspired my work.”
The artist’s visual arts background and experience as a high school teacher are reflected in her recent works. The White Woman, says Chouinard, stems from the idea of creating 3D drawings that can be manipulated as if they were “visual images in movement”.
“When I decided to explore puppetry arts, many elements of my work converged. It was quite an effervescent time because it fed my passion for black and white drawing, for sculpture and for the body in motion. Everything just came together.”
La marionnette, une poésie visuelle qui prend vie, Ali Dosti, Courrier du Sud, October 2015
***
…”Multidisciplinary artist Magali Chouinard explores solitude and self awareness in a performance without words. The creation's monochrome aesthetic borrows from a more visual arts or sculptural approach. In fact, this may very well be the crossroads where puppetry arts reside. The White Woman character is inspired by the mythical creatures of the Amerindian or European tales. Slowly, she reveals herself through certain movements. Then an Old Woman and a Child appear. She will carry this Child on her side just like a mother would, and also carry the various aspects of her personality represented by the Wolf and the Raven. Birds also appear, in the guise origami, and speak without saying a word. The stage direction is not the only aspect of this performance with a poetic sensitivity: A few of sentences from Chouinard's book of poetry (Théâtre d'ombres et de lumières - Shadow and Light Theatre). With a delicate hand and mush introspection, this White Woman born of a symbolic world arouses our interest and curiosity. We can only imagine the impact the artist must have when performing in the street.”
REVIEW by David Lefebvre – Mon (Theatre).qc.ca
TRADUCTION / TRANSLATION: Denise Babin @ denisebabin.com