Unveiling the Night
Set in the nocturnal landscapes of Hill End, NSW, Australia, Unveiling the Night reveals unseen world that emerges after darkness falls. Using infrared cameras, artist and filmmaker Nicole Welch captures the hidden lives of the Australian bush’s inhabitants—not as mere documentation, but as a cinematic exploration of time, space, and mystery.
As native and introduced species cross the same patch of land at different moments, Welch’s lens bends time, layering their journeys until they seem to exist together in a liminal, dreamlike space. A skulk of foxes, a herd of deer, a passel of possums—their movements intertwine, blurring the boundaries between past and present, connection and displacement. Ghostly yet intimate, her absence behind the camera becomes a haunting presence, raising questions of who truly inhabits the night.
Blurring the line between surveillance and storytelling, ‘Night’ reimagines the Australian wilderness not as a place of stark isolation, but as a quiet refuge—a world steeped in illusion, wonder, and delicate entanglements. Through her lens, Welch transforms darkness into an invitation, revealing a landscape that is as enigmatic as it is tender.
As native and introduced species cross the same patch of land at different moments, Welch’s lens bends time, layering their journeys until they seem to exist together in a liminal, dreamlike space. A skulk of foxes, a herd of deer, a passel of possums—their movements intertwine, blurring the boundaries between past and present, connection and displacement. Ghostly yet intimate, her absence behind the camera becomes a haunting presence, raising questions of who truly inhabits the night.
Blurring the line between surveillance and storytelling, ‘Night’ reimagines the Australian wilderness not as a place of stark isolation, but as a quiet refuge—a world steeped in illusion, wonder, and delicate entanglements. Through her lens, Welch transforms darkness into an invitation, revealing a landscape that is as enigmatic as it is tender.