Nikki Sheth. Juried Artist
Strange Weather
University of the Sunshine Coast Art Gallery
Artist Statement
Over 500 species of plants worldwide rely on bats for pollination, a fact that is not widely known. Bats are important insect controllers, bat guano makes excellent fertiliser, bats play a key role in dispersing seeds and bats are barometers of our planet’s health. Without them, there is no us.
This work looks to foster a deeper connection with the places we inhabit and the other species that occupy these spaces. It comments on the importance of bats as a species and the impact of this species on humans and the health of the planet. This work is part of long-term research that explores nocturnal wildlife and ecological change. It aims to inspire positive change in attitudes towards bats since Covid-19.
About the artists
Nikki Sheth is an internationally recognised sound artist and composer. Her work aims to give voice to the environment and foster a deeper connection with the natural world through field recordings, soundscape composition, spatial audio practices, multimedia installations, and sound walking.
Nikki has a PhD in Musical Composition from The University of Birmingham titled ‘Blurring the Lines Between Field Recording, Soundscape Composition and Acousmatic Music’. The practice-led research project included concert works and multimedia installations and was informed by a series of interviews taken with sound artists working in the field.
She has been funded for large-scale projects by Arts Council England, Arts and Humanities Research Council, British Council, Sound and Music, Sound UK and more.
She was awarded a Sound and Music award (2020), nominated for the Phonurgia Nova Awards (2020), received an Honourable Mention for the Sound of the Year Awards (2021), nominated for Ivor Novello Composer Award (2021), awarded a Sound and Music Seed Award for New Voices (2022) and winner of the Leah Reid Award from the International Alliance for Women in Music (2023).
Her work has been presented internationally including at Quench Gallery (Margate), Kings Place (London), MANTIS (Manchester), Ars Electronica (Austria), Sonic Cartography Festival (Kent), World Forum for Acoustic Ecology Conference (Florida), The Global Composition (Germany) and Perspectives on Listening (Brisbane).
She recently collaborated on the ‘Disruptive Frequencies’ album released with Nonclassical and her debut album, ‘Sounds of Mmabolela’ was released with Flaming Pines in 2021. Her work has been described by The Wire Magazine as ‘gorgeously trippy’, ‘enchanting’, ‘beautiful’, ‘dark, murky and mysterious, but also peaceful, serene and utterly alluring’. She is currently an Associate Artist at Open School East.
Credits: Nikki Sheth, Photo Credit John Lucy