TANIA ROBINSON

Music by Abdoulaye Alhassane, "Kurbu"

TANIA ROBINSON

CANDLE MAKER & DESIGNER

Rockley, NSW, Australia

When I parked the car on a patch of grass near a fence, after a long wild road, I could hear a strange noise. A sort of loud tapping that came and went. I immediately forgot about it, being completely distracted by the beauty of the place. Tall trees, hilly bush in those verdigris tones, and a tiny white house surrounded by the fence. Read More

Photos I took that day…

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Invited by Tania, I walked first to The Shed, a sort of artist studio on steroid: a corner dedicated to painting, a space for relaxing, a perfume lab, tons of books, massive flower arrangements everywhere and spectacular paintings. My bedroom was tucked in at the back after walking through this museum/cabinet of curiosity. It was my idea of heaven. There was a lingering scent that made me immediately comfortable, and it was bizarre because I usually am bothered enormously by perfumes and candles. I had just entered candle land but I didn’t feel the attack on my senses that I dread when marching (fast) through the bottom floor of department stores around the world, or candle store. I felt at home and it was a relief.

My sense of smell has always been over developed, for no particular reason. It has been 99% unuseful and rather painful. I can smell animals in the bush, people’s intimate fragrances from afar (I’m so sorry to reveal this here), a dog poo smudge shoe meters away. My family thought I should have opted for a career as a “nose” in the perfume industry. But perfumes hurt my nose. The 1% for which it has been useful was when I saved the inhabitants of a building in the 17th arrondissement of Paris in the middle of the night when my crazy nose detected fire in the foyer (a bin arsonist was roaming in the area at the time), same story when my little brother Louis experimented with fire in his dust bin. It is the life saving side of this curse. The rest of the time I live mostly in apnoea…

When I accepted to go film Southern Wild Co, I hesitated for a while. A candle maker? Are you crazy? The thing is, I had smelled Tania’s candles at a friend’s place and for the first time, it made me feel a profound sense of well being. I’m not sure why, it also brought back childhood memories, old homes, wood wax, cleanliness, and summer holidays…

I didn’t dare confess this to Tania when she accompanied me to her house, 20 meters from The Shed. A white cladded cottage hiding behind flowering bushes. She had made the most exquisite dinner which we ate with her husband by candle light on the wooden veranda like in the movies. I asked them about their lifestyle in the bush. They told me about the tapping noise: an anti-snake system! The tap tap tap turns around the property and scare snakes away from the little patch of grass they reserve for their dog and their garden. The rest is wild bush.

It’s the very place that constantly inspire Tania to create uniquely scented candles. Australian essential oils are used to give them a strong sense of place. Australian bush poetry is printed in gold letters on the glass and the luxurious boxes. As you’ll see on the photos above, they are decorated with artworks by Australian painters. Tania sees her work as a powerful collaboration with artists to keep a strong connection to nature. And it works. Next time you walk past a Southern Wild Co. candle, breath in, trust me, it will transport you to a place your cherish.

Get to know Tania through her replies to my interview below. It’s really worth a read.

Connect with Tania and Southern Wild Co.

@southernwildco | southernwildco.com.au

INTERVIEW

I was named after a Miss Australia from the sixties call Tania Verstak. I guess it was because she was an influencer of the time and made an impression on my young mum. She was certainly very beautiful.
I was born in Wollongong. We lived on the mountain but it was only 5 minutes to the beach. We were lucky enough to have horses and would ride the fire trails under the escarpment after school or gallop along the beach. I love to be outdoors in the fresh air and now live on an old sheep farm near Rockley in the central west of NSW.
We speak English. I would’ve loved to learn another language like Italian or French, but sadly I was never very good at it.
I make scented homewares and design and curate artisan pieces in collaboration with Australian makers and artists. It is important to me to promote Australian designed and made products that have a beautiful story to go with them.
That’s a hard question. There are so many that have influenced me at the different stages in my life. If I had to choose, then it would probably be a J.M.W. Turner landscape. I am fascinated by light and he was the master that went on to influence so many other painters that I admire, especially the Australian impressionists like Arthur Streeton and Tom Roberts.
I actually wanted to be an artist but my practical parents convinced me that I might be better off learning to be a graphic designer. I have always had an affinity with nature and the bush and it was that connection that led me to learn about perfumery and candle-making. I wanted to capture the scent of the bush in wax and share a sense of Australia with my friends overseas. My training in design has helped me to create my brand Southern Wild Co and is constantly evolving in very exciting ways.
I’m not a particularly extravagant person. I get the most pleasure out of being connected to nature and enjoying the small things that come with it, like watching flickering morning light or smelling scent of a dramatic thunderstorm after a hot summer day.
I play the piano. It’s all encompassing and I can lose complete track of time. It helps me clear my head. When I’m ‘stuck’ I stop and play for a bit, then I can restart where I left off.
When I first arrived in London back in the early 90s, I was lucky enough to be mentored by two ex-Royal Academy film makers who had made an avant-garde film in the 70s called ‘Justine’, about the Marquis de Sade. They received a grant from the London Arts Council to set up a film studio for independent film makers and musicians and offered me a job working on film credits and related graphic design jobs. I learnt so much from them and worked on some amazing projects with some very interesting people that I have never forgotten.
Definitely the learning curve of understanding the nuances of fragrance and the chemistry of candle making. It is a difficult art and takes a lot of practice to make a perfect candle. It is true alchemy!
Honesty, respect, kindness
I am obsessed with collecting things. From art and ceramics and the thrill of vintage finds to all manner of printed ephemera, books and things found in nature. I am continually inspired by the beauty of the natural world.
I have an old suitcase full of letters that were written to me by my Grandmother when I was living abroad for a decade. Written in her beautiful hand, they’re a snapshot of daily life back home in the bush and I can always visualise exactly where they were and what they were doing, right down to the memories of the smells in the house, the furniture and pictures on the walls.
There are so many but if I had to choose, it would be Spaghetti Vongole, preferably served in a rustic trattoria by the beach with a nice cold glass of Chablis.
Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart. An important and difficult subject to watch but such beautiful cinematography, strong female leads, the interiors, the flowers!
The last film that made an impression was Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog. I think The Piano is probably one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. I adore Jane Campion!
Danish musician, Agnes Obel
Mandy Aftel, the nose behind Aftelier Perfumes. She is the doyenne of natural perfumery. She is an ongoing inspiration, encyclopedia of perfumery history and an old rock ’n roll queen.
Karen Hook, Ahn Nguyen… so many promising new artists out there, so hard to choose!
I’m already living here. Out in the bush, immersed in nature.
Ahh, something really exciting is coming next year! We have made an amazing collaboration with a very special artist and cannot wait to reveal all. Let’s just say there will be lots of magic!