Tessa Blazey Creates: The Princess Nausicaa Ring

Step into the imaginative world of Melbourne-based artist Tessa Blazey as she shares the story behind her extraordinary Princess Nausicaa ring, created for Substratum — Pieces of Eight Gallery's latest group exhibition, celebrating Australian gemstones.

Inspired by a Studio Ghibli film, Tessa’s sculptural ring evokes the wild, organic forms of the film’s toxic jungle: fungal stalks, blobby spores and insect pincers rendered in precious metal. Set with a kaleidoscope of rare Australian gemstones the piece captures both the fragility and resilience of the natural world.

In this interview, Tessa takes us behind the scenes of her creative process, revealing how this work came to life from initial concept to final form.

PO8: Where did you find inspiration for this incredible piece? Does the title relate to a deeper meaning or story?

TB: The ring was inspired by one of my favourite anime characters of all time, Princess Nausicaa, from Studio Ghibli's film 'Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind'.
The film is set in a post-apocalyptic future where mutant insects and plants have taken over, transforming vast plots of the wilderness that were damaged by humans in the war.

As a character she is calm, compassionate, strong and has endless courage. She is very curious and by experimenting with new mutant plant species in her lab, discovers the plants are in fact healing the planet rather than damaging it. She is a natural leader and lives with her people in one of the few beautiful areas left on earth, in an enclosed valley protected by the sea winds.

PO8: What was your design process like — from initial ideas to the final work?

TB: The idea was to make the settings look like the wild organic forms of the plants and creatures from the toxic jungle - one of the significant settings for the film. The plants are organic and tend to grow with stems and stalks similar to various fungi with blobby spores. One of the mutant insects that inhabits the toxic jungle has pointed pincers and the talon claws holding the gems reflect this.

PO8: Tell us more about the Australian gemstones you used — their source, cut, or any distinctive qualities.

TB: The gemstones were selected for their colour and variation to reflect the colours and diversity of the plants in the toxic jungle. All the gemstones are Australian, as per the brief for SUBSTRATUM. The rough opal is from Queensland's opal fields. It was fossicked and handed down from father to daughter, who I was lucky to purchase it from.

The freeform aquamarine is from O'Briens Creek, QLD, and was hand cut by a gem cutter in Western Australia. The yellow sapphire is from Reward, QLD, and was cut in Brunswick. The emerald, found in Torrington, NSW, was cut in South Australia, and the rough ruby was fossicked by a local gem cutter in New England, NSW.  The ruby, emerald and aquamarine are all very rare.

A masterful fusion of imagination, storytelling and craft — Tessa's Princess Nausicaa Ring must be experienced in person to truly appreciate its sculptural form and exquisite use of Australian gemstones.

Visit Pieces of Eight Gallery at 28 Russell Place, Melbourne to see this extraordinary work as part of Substratum, on show until July 19. Don’t miss your chance to encounter this celebration of Australian artistry and the natural world.