Sophie Thatcher’s handbag is full of tangible memories. She called out pictures, a pair of earrings from her boyfriend and “old things I keep in there.” Finally, she found what she was looking for: a handmade sculpture, repurposed into a necklace, so precious that she feels it’s safer to carry it in her bag rather than wear it around her neck.
Her identical twin, Ellie Thatcher, a multimedia artist who specializes in claymation, originally made the sculpture for an Avey Tare music video. (Avey Tare is also a member of the band Animal Collective.) She later added the chain and gave it to her sister when the two were living in different cities.
“I’m a very nostalgic person, so I think that’s why this gift was just kind of perfect,” said Sophie Thatcher, who is the star of A24’s new horror film “Heretic.” In an interview that has been edited and condensed, Ms. Thatcher talks about the “twin effect” and the necklace that links them together.
Tell me about this necklace.
I don’t usually wear it out. I’m a little scared of the string, but it’s always just in my purse and travels with me to different places. Ellie made it two years ago. It’s kind of just a reminder that I have a very talented sister and it’s just so nice to finally collaborate and have her be in the same city — she was in Chicago, I was in L.A. Now that she’s in L.A., I’m just thankful to have someone that’s talented and cares. It kind of almost feels like I don’t need friends, which is dramatic, but it’s kind of the twin effect.
Since you don’t really wear it as a necklace, do you ever think about framing it?
Yeah. In my house, I have a whole row of just antiques. Most of my house is essentially an antique store. There’s a lot of just knickknacks and things that mean something to me, so I might try to frame it and place it up there. It is dangerous to have in my purse. I know that.
What’s the sculpture made out of?
It was just using clay and then painted with metallic acrylics. I don’t know how she does it. It’s insane to me. She works harder than anybody I know with her art, and she’s so ridiculously passionate. She makes music, she directs, she makes soundtracks, she makes all the claymation. It all kind of started in my grandmother’s dollhouse, and she would use some old toys, and we would get furniture for the dollhouse, and she would just build sets in the dollhouse. But now she’s been creating her own sets.
You mentioned the “twin effect.” Growing up, did you two have your own language?
We actually did — when we were younger, we had our own language. Well, we first started out barking before talking. And then we went into our own twin language where it was just gibberish. I don’t remember it, of course, but my mom was like: “It was your own language. You guys could understand each other.”
Some pieces of jewelry seem to have a little bit of magic in them. Have you felt that with this piece?
I think Ellie has a way of creating faces that make them feel real, real people, and I think she’s gotten to that level of her artistry where it’s like I look at this face and it feels like a real person, not in a scary way.
Is it a human face? Or something more godlike?
We grew up Mormon and are no longer Mormon, so I think we just have a lot of religious undertones in all of our art and can’t help it. All of her art feels like it’s definitely not entirely human, but it’s more creature.
Do you want to pass this piece down to someone someday, or keep it for yourself?
I feel like I’m not old enough to say that yet or have enough experience, but right now I want to keep it to myself.
The post Sophie Thatcher’s Sculpture Turned Necklace appeared first on New York Times.
