DESIGNER / Sylvia Watt

Sylvia Watt, born in Camden, trained as a nurse and later did her art training at East Sydney Tech (now the National Arts School, Sydney). After moving to the Border Ranges in northern NSW she began working with textiles, making large and small-scale works, wearables and wall pieces that referenced the landscape and community around her. This was the beginning of her use of recycled materials.

 In 2000 she moved to Brisbane where, drawing on her mental health background, she developed an Art program in a mental health hospital that continues today. The experience of running this program, of making manifest, the connection between art and mental health, and recognising the importance of process rather than outcome, profoundly influenced her practice and continues to do so. Sylvia has taught and exhibited nationally and internationally. Her commitment to using recycled materials remains a major part of her work. She is a member of Tidal Collective, an artist group with a focus on the environment.