Taylor Clark

LJI Reporter

“The beast had appeared on my path in the middle of the forest, and I remember its shrill cry, the fear that gripped my stomach, the speed at which I pedaled, the heart pounding in my skull. There’s just one other time I felt the same way – ten years later – on the same bike, by the way.” (Translated excerpt)

Stirring away from traditional storytelling, “La couleur des murs” is a voice-driven story by Karina Pawlikowski with no meaning, end or even a beginning.

“My work avoids narrative constructions where you can find, for example, spectacular and then twists and turns,” said Pawlikowski. “It’s really more into transmitting impressions, writing living tableaux.”

The intimate spoken piece took listeners on a journey of chance encounters and the random sequences of events that shape a person’s life, leaving one with the feeling they’ve chosen everything in advance, even down to the colour of the walls.

As an artist and writer, Pawlikowski focuses on the visual and literary arts. Her writing allows her to transmit her work in various forms, whether it be visual exhibitions or performances on stage. “My writing practice wanders a lot in these different disciplinary fields, but it’s still something that I also bring through my different professions as well.”

Pawlikowski has been teaching observation drawing at the École des arts et cultures de l’Université du Québec en Outaouais since 2018 and has become a familiar face at the Centre d’exposition L’Imagier after being named the executive director earlier this year.

Her works pull together writing, voice, drawing and everyday life, referencing intimacy, domestic space and those who inhabit it.

“What is special about this is that it is an ongoing project. What was broadcast on Radio-Hull is a first iteration.”

What Pawlikowski described as the first chapter hit the airways on September 11 as part of the fifth edition of Radio-Hull. The literary project first took the form of a manuscript and by joining forces with Transistor Média, “La couleur des murs” had its first life as an audio medium.

“I plan to work on this project, for sure … It is certain that the next form will be more literary.”

Photo: Artist and writer Karina Pawlikowski debuts the first phase of “La couleur des murs” with the help of Transistor Média on Radio-Hull.

Photo: William Sabourin