I Will Punish Whoever Made These Weird Creatures Sad

I've always felt a pull towards broken things; that which has been discarded or overlooked for its imperfections…still with so much to offer. This little broken shell caught my eye recently and seemed the perfect adornment for this Echo who will be seeking adoption (once completed) along with a few of his kin later this month.

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Jan 9, 2017 at 11:31pm PST

Equipped with bulbous beige heads, elf-like ears, and large pupil-less eyes, Nicole Watt's creatures (or Echoes as she prefers to call them) convey a harrowing sadness and weariness simply through body language and eye expressions. Originally created as tangible sculptures, but gaining further popularity as 2D Instagram images, Watt’s Echoes are effortlessly compelling and cute in an alien-like way, but ultimately beg the question, what the hell are they really?

Fortunately, the Australian artist has some answers: “The figure I sculpt could be likened to my familiars in a way; they are as much a part of me as I am of them. I feel like they’ve always been with me in some way, slowly building up a voice throughout my childhood and early adulthood that one day finally broke through my subconscious after having children and moving to the serenity of the forest.”

Have you ever found yourself standing wide-eyed at the doorway of another's heart, buoyed by the weightless innocence and optimism of inexperience … only to be greeted by the shattering realisation that all that you seek has long since departed, and what lingers behind is nothing more than the impassive ghosts of past encounters? Working on my contributions to 'Bitter | Sweet' - the next curated show by @beautifulbizarremagazine to be held at @19karengallery (19 Karen Contemporary Artspace) on the Gold Coast, Australia, from 18 March - 29 April 2017

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Oct 11, 2016 at 10:53pm PDT

Watt calls them Echoes because she “sees them as reflections of each other, of the past, of memories, of the lost elements of our humanity, the sadness of our Earth… standing dormant in the shadows like empty, lifeless vessels, waiting for the moment when they inherit a soul,” the artist adds.

"Some souls just understand each other upon meeting" Duo available now via my website store. Link in bio. {update : SOLD}

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Jun 4, 2016 at 6:08pm PDT

Beyond an innate creative ability, Watt’s largest influences are her everyday surroundings. Based in the Southern Tasmanian wilderness, a certain attunement with nature is clearly visible in her sprite-like figures: “I think living in an area of the world where you are effectively swaddled by nature is incredibly soothing to the mind, and a very powerful healing tool for the soul,” the artist tells The Creators Project. “There is something about being completely immersed in the wild in such a way that stirs something within us all. I find it difficult to not be inspired and have my frame of mind shifted by the nuances of my surroundings.”

If only one could peel back the bruised skin of reality and retreat into the warm oblivion of childhood once again; or perhaps therein lies the essence of madness…

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Mar 15, 2016 at 12:53am PDT

“The forest also provides more tangible sources of inspiration for me in the form of the organic offerings which I often find on my walks, such as discarded feathers, tiny skulls, dried lichen, skeleton leaves, abandoned nests, tufts of fur, and the like,” Watt elaborates. “Foraged objects have an energy all of their own, which often acts to guide my hand. And on occasions, the aesthetic of an entire piece can be built around a single shard of bone.”

Melancholy held me hostage, and the bees built a hive of sadness in my soul… #lauriehalseanderson #wip

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Nov 12, 2015 at 10:22pm PST

"I can barely conceive of a type of beauty in which there is no Melancholy" ~ Charles Baudelaire

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Oct 12, 2014 at 10:39pm PDT

View images of Nicole Watt’s inimitable Echo sculptures on her website, or alternatively, on her Instagram page.

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