https://www.nicolebearden.art/blog-callout-gallery daily 0.75 2020-04-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/1587071257818-WBERN5GBF0KWP3F7M59H/Copy+of+Copy+of+Long+list.png Blog Callout Gallery https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/1587071257818-WBERN5GBF0KWP3F7M59H/Copy+of+Copy+of+Long+list.png Blog Callout Gallery https://www.nicolebearden.art/work-avenue daily 1.0 2025-09-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/1550710222995-J3JBRUROYNJ6D6GCT4G9/Screenshot+%28432%29.png Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/1550761740611-D4IVM2NUQ2MQLZ83OQVP/Screenshot+%28449%29.png Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/1550779873019-JZ7OVSI0RDWV5LQ1WGP5/Screenshot%2B2019-02-21%2Bat%2B3.07.59%2BPM.jpg Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/1550784459342-IOZ1KC1IRNVZUZLYVFS3/DSC_0182.jpg Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/1550367946650-QPICZCU8988EXTO5SHT8/BIBIANA+promo+image.jpg Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/1550797349129-GEAPH9016WXS4H6Q0O8J/Screenshot+2019-02-21+at+7.56.55+PM.png Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/1550798295382-ZL1LLRHXAMM72OE18V5A/Screenshot+2019-02-21+at+8.16.56+PM.png Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/1550805006587-RHSGTYUMCMKNHP9DH3Q7/MIraj.jpg Work - The Night Journey of the Prophet Muhammad (Mi’raj) Iran. 16th – 18th Century CE Ink, opaque watercolors, and gold pigment on paper Gift of Elinor Lander Horwitz, Class of 1950 Smith College Museum of Art In this manuscript page, the Prophet Muhammad, surrounded by a golden radiance symbolizing the light of Islam, is carried through the air by Al-Burāq (lightning) a mythological white steed, brought to Muhammad by the Angel Jibril (Gabriel). Burāq is described variously, according to different versions of Hadith (reports of traditions and sayings of the Prophet). Sometimes Burāq is masculine, other times feminine or androgynous, and made up of various animals. Here, we see Burāq with the body of a horse, a lion tail, and an androgynous human face. The visage of Muhammad has been effaced, leaving a white smear as a “veil.” The faces of the surrounding angels and Burāq are untouched. Due to varying interpretations of Islam’s prohibitions on images of living beings, oftentimes subsequent owners of these manuscripts removed the eyes or faces of certain figures. The fact that someone acquired the book yet erased the face exposes the complex nature of image prohibition in Islam. Nicole Bearden, Smith College AC ‘19 Spring 2017 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/1550800428406-ELXYASY16WT3O7KEE4JH/benjamin-lord.png Work - CH2. Fig. 2. Antechamber with modern graffiti. The plaster false wall has been removed in sections, visible at left., VOL. II from Humaliwo Chambers, Norton Christmas Project 2010. Benjamin Lord. American (1974 - ). Color photolithograph. Gift of Jessica Nicoll, class of 1983, through the generosity of Gwen and Peter Norton. SC 2010:70-3 (2). Smith College Museum of Art https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/1554144838118-2R27VBITSKAW26UWISJX/27579823_151220408922581_5319145966203305984_n.jpg Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/1550713672244-T2RU50P7NFZI8DZU18IL/corrected+flyer+temar.jpg Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/1614290741588-QKGUDM7KCPT4VPMP05MF/Screen+Shot+2021-02-25+at+2.05.07+PM.png Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/1616370090499-O3Y0AAYKPBQUVEX7DVDA/NB-arti.jpg Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/1616370432341-4PYLQFB73SYMSKIL1DPX/NB-cb.jpg Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/1579119001937-7TYDN8CSNF2LX5QQNKPR/image-asset.jpeg Work - digital ritual, 2018 Digital Ritual, 2018 Nicole Bearden The idea behind this video project comes from an essay on “ether”, by Caroline Jones, in which the author connects historical and philosophical notions of “ether”, with supernatural beliefs and technological developments, such as the ethernet. While reading Jones’ piece, I was also thinking about friends of mine who practice “digital witchcraft” and analog “technological witchcraft”, and musing about what that might mean if we considered computers as autonomous beings, especially with the development of Artificial Intelligence. Since AI “learns” from human online behavior, do human beliefs become AI “beliefs”? Can human spiritual practices, if digitized, become AI spiritual practices? I created a video, made by layering a slowed, looped video of someone making a salt circle (circle of protection), and videos of the separate elements usually included in pagan and wiccan (but by no means all) spell casting-- Fire (candles), Water (water drops), Air (feathers falling), and Earth (a gemstone). These elemental videos were divined by drawing tarot cards, one for each, and using their associated numbers as a guideline. The cards I used are as follows: Water - The Ace of Swords, associated with the number 1 Fire - Seven of Pentacles, associated with the number 7 Air - The Hermit, associated with the number 11 Earth - The Three of Swords, associated with the number 3 Once chosen. I downloaded the videos, editing each element. These were then positioned in the cardinal directions around the circle which are associated with each element. In the case of this video, they are laid-out as if on a 2-dimensional map, with “North” at the top. Waves which indicate “magic” are from a video capture of the Lumetri Scope of the original salt circle video, which were then multi-layered (some slowed, some sped -up) and looped over the original silent video footage, indicating an ethereal presence that we cannot usually see, but is always there (like electricity, wifi, radio signals, and like many believe spirits and magic are)--of the interaction of light and colors, that, when broken down into parts by a machine, becomes visible. The sound comes from two sources—one, is a NASA-recorded sound of Earth from space. It is a sound that we, as residents of Earth never hear. Even if we were outside the Earth’s atmosphere in outer space, it would be inaudible to the human ear. These waves were recorded by NASA, then played back on Earth, where our atmospheric conditions make it possible to finally experience the ever-present, yet undetectable sound of the planet on which we live. The second sample, is a recorded, then slowed sound of a wifi connection— invisible waves that surround us constantly, and that we use for numerous purposes (including this project) but are all just an unobserved, inaudible part of the ether. I cut, looped, slowed some, and sped-up others, then layered these sound bites to create an atmospheric background of sound, as well as a crescendo of “magic” building up during the spell-cast. Questions that came up, and for which I have no answers regarding this project: Although I designed and compiled this “spell”, was I actually the one carrying it out? Since it is now available to be played or cast anywhere there is a digital connection, and can be looped continuously, is the computer casting the spell? Is the ethernet? Can a spell be continually cast, and if so, what does this mean? Has the spell become its own entity? Is it a spiritual “program”? Has digitization rendered the spiritual component meaningless in this case? What would happen if we “trained” AI to conduct “rituals” through programming? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/b9daee51-35c7-4780-916c-0430f9cbcd0f/Collage-writing-Bearden.jpg Work https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/1580067229875-PTNJ4HODH1R59BZOI55F/instagram-avatar-180-180-circle-002.png Work https://www.nicolebearden.art/contact daily 0.75 2019-02-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/1550352952289-5IMBIRQ0KCRXNMIFH1L6/1320355651125.jpg Contact https://www.nicolebearden.art/about daily 0.75 2025-06-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/159c008a-bbc6-40f7-95d4-41523f28026d/NB_profile.jpg About - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c5d09c87fdcb81643c7d570/1550354386785-B6F01GJBP871YMEKY23R/1322249385670.jpg About https://www.nicolebearden.art/latest-posts daily 0.75 2019-12-16 https://www.nicolebearden.art/new-page daily 0.75 2020-04-16 https://www.nicolebearden.art/shop daily 0.75 2016-03-03 https://www.nicolebearden.art/shop/monograph-vol-9 monthly 0.5 2016-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d73dbac2ea51af9150258f/1457025216017-T0QUQERR1NVNLW8RH9OP/2016-03-02-book-9.jpg Shop - Monograph vol. 9 https://www.nicolebearden.art/shop/monograph-vol-8 monthly 0.5 2016-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d73dbac2ea51af9150258f/1457024329950-PKAP8NHOUCYJDIBDPKIB/2016-03-02-book-8.jpg Shop - Monograph vol. 8 https://www.nicolebearden.art/shop/monograph-vol-7 monthly 0.5 2016-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d73dbac2ea51af9150258f/1457023037783-J12HQBT30CGF4FK4QD37/2016-03-02-book-7.jpg Shop - Monograph vol. 7 https://www.nicolebearden.art/shop/monograph-vol-6 monthly 0.5 2016-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d73dbac2ea51af9150258f/1457021923759-3WXHN428KA4GZ57D9RR3/2016-03-02-book-6.jpg Shop - Monograph vol. 6 https://www.nicolebearden.art/shop/monograph-vol-5 monthly 0.5 2016-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d73dbac2ea51af9150258f/1457021350838-Q4Z87FUJ89YI8GT7H5ZY/2016-03-02-book-5.jpg Shop - Monograph vol. 5 https://www.nicolebearden.art/shop/monograph-vol-4 monthly 0.5 2016-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d73dbac2ea51af9150258f/1457020642889-XYQSLVMF01OUV4AIZ8CL/2016-03-02-book-4.jpg Shop - Monograph vol. 4 https://www.nicolebearden.art/shop/monograph-vol-3 monthly 0.5 2016-03-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d73dbac2ea51af9150258f/1456962879945-XPQ03RZVKU4KETVUF1RX/2016-03-02-book-3.jpg Shop - Monograph vol. 3 https://www.nicolebearden.art/shop/monograph-v-2 monthly 0.5 2016-03-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d73dbac2ea51af9150258f/1456962395963-CUCAA5K25VAEI9GX7WCX/2016-03-02-book-2.jpg Shop - Monograph vol. 2 https://www.nicolebearden.art/shop/monograph-v-1 monthly 0.5 2016-03-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d73dbac2ea51af9150258f/1456961480758-BXP3I5WRZR0ZD8YFEUUA/2016-03-02-book-1.jpg Shop - Monograph vol. 1