On Being Melliferous
To be melliferous is to be aware of and open to mutual transformation. The term derives from Nandita’s doctoral research exploring reciprocities and aesthetic entanglements between honey bees, art, and philosophy. Being melliferous recognizes conditions of porosity, permeability, and reciprocity of all beings (animal, vegetal, bacterial) with entities (terrain, atmosphere, cosmic). In particular the research examines interactions that occur in contact zones of sensations, including both human and multispecies, that is called multispecies aesthetics. Multispecies aesthetics enfolds the vast richness of more-than-human sensorial affordances. It is proposed that these alien (to human) sensations have the potential to be accessed (albeit blurry, patchy, fragmented, ephemeral) through experiences of art.
about
Nandita Baxi Sheth, PhD.
founder
Nandita Baxi Sheth completed her PhD.from the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts (Dwith the award-winning dissertation titled Being Melliferous: Towards Multispecies Aesthetics.She has a Master of Community Planning and a Master of Visual Arts Education from the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning at the University of Cincinnati. She completed her undergraduate studies at Rice University with majors in Architecture, Art History, and English.
Nandita has worked as a Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow with IDSVA faculty and has moderated a variety of seminars for IDSVA students. At the University of Cincinnati, she co-taught Sticky Innovation (with engineering professor Dr. Whitney Gaskins), an award winning trans-disciplinary undergraduate Honors course. In the School of Art she taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses in the Art Education Program. Along with Dr. Kristopher Holland, she is co-founder of an arts-based research initiative, The Strange Tools Lab.
Currently Nandita advises on the Board of Directors of IDSVA and the Board of the Carnegie in Covington, KY.
In addition to teaching, research, and writing; she has an active multi-media art practice including painting and collage.
Details about her art, presentations, and teaching may be found at her personal website : melliferous.org
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