what existence is measuring by anne-laure garicoix

Eponine Howarth

What existence is measuring by anne-laure garicoix (2023)

transl. by Eponine Howarth

Every morning when he puts a first foot on the ground he gathers
he gathers stardust with the arch of his foot
he gathers in his head the night that has just passed
it's all there in 1m74, all that's missing is the next day
for the time being, he gathers whole days,
his hands are full of things you can't see
kilos of stories that weigh down the invisible
and his hands never stop adding to the rags of the sea
he gathers, he adds to the belly
everything is in order, not like at home
in the belly, in the ears,
everything comes in
life, the end of life, day, night
what looks like flights that skim the earth
every day that his eyes open he gathers without waiting
sometimes, as on our doorstep, we can see things that have not been swept away
prayers, regrets, foretastes, aftertastes
he gathers standing, sitting, lying down
we try to do the same without realising it
our share of night, our share of day
close to our necks, close to the ground
that we carry, that we gather
that we hold in our hands
this is how language is articulated
with hands brought to our mouths
gathering with the earth at his feet
he grasps as far as the existence of the old stone on the mountain
he searches, he gathers
we are just a few millimetres from his feet
we put an ear to the ground to listen
it all begins here

***

Ce que mesure l’existence (2023)

Tous les matins en posant un premier pied sur le sol il ramasse
il ramasse avec la voûte plantaire des poussières d’étoiles
il ramasse avec sa tête la nuit qui vient de passer
tout est réuni dans 1m74, il ne manque que le jour d’après
pour le moment il ramasse des journées entières,
il a les mains pleines de ce qu’on ne voit pas
des kilos d’histoires qui font peser l’invisible
et ses mains ne cessent d’ajouter les ramassis du large
il ramasse, il ajoute dans le ventre
tout est ordonné, pas comme chez nous
dans le ventre, dans les oreilles,
tout rentre
la vie, la fin de vie, le jour, la nuit
ce qui ressemble à des envols qui rasent la terre
chaque jour que ses yeux s’ouvrent il ramasse sans attendre
parfois comme devant notre porte on peut voir des choses non balayées
des prières, des regrets, des avants-goûts, des après-goûts
il ramasse debout, assis, couché
on essaie de faire pareil sans s’en rendre compte
notre part de nuit, notre part de jour
au ras du cou, au ras du sol
que l’on porte, que l’on ramasse
que l’on tient dans les mains
ainsi s’articule le langage
avec des mains portées à sa bouche
en ramassant la terre à ses pieds
il saisi aussi loin que l’existence de la vieille pierre sur la montagne
il cherche, il ramasse
nous sommes à quelques millimètres de ses pieds
nous déposons une oreille pour écouter
tout commence ici

Feux follets
on a parlé depuis les yeux
symbiotes

cc: Emmy Martens

Anne-Laure Garicoix was born in 1987. Her work moves between painting and drawing, where the boundaries of pictorial and graphic art closely intersect. Through the use of words, she seeks associations of ideas that she unfolds in the form of vivid, shifting landscapes inspired by tales of the Earth and the elements; surfaces where bodies and organic forms merge and weave, oscillating between covering and unveiling.
In addition to these two regular disciplines, she has also developed her writing skills - writing through an approach to poetic form, but also through a graphic language to be invested in images. She has published two self-publications, one a collection of poetry and drawings, Continent ovale, published in 2023, the other a limited edition in 2024, À l'ombre des vies, fragments d'un discours amoureux après la mort, an artist's book made from a series of printed drawings and a hand-silk-screened section. She has also recently collaborated with publishing houses (Exopotamie, Cambourakis), proposing images for the covers of poetry books (Poésie-Paléo by Maxime Morel, Bouche-Fumier by Hortense Raynal).

Eponine Howarth

Eponine Howarth is co-editor-in-chief of La Piccioletta Barca.

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