Infos
2017
Production Residency Pro Helvetia
Scientists: Nicolas Chaline, Ronara Souza, Hilário Póvoas, Raquel Lima
Camera: Mikalai Zhaludovich
Editing: Mariko Montpetit
Thanks: Ciça Winter
During an expedition to the Brazilian rainforest with a team of scientists and a cameraman, we set out to interact with large groups of Eciton ‘Army’ ants.
Studying their trails we tried to understand their collective behaviour and chemical pheromone signals.
Using resins developed with the help of an art conservationist in Sao Paulo and a technique developed by two entomologists in the UK we recorded the traces of this collective manipulation onto soot covered glass sheets, which were then developed as prints using various techniques (photochemical, cyanotype, aquafortis, etc.).
This research is part of an ongoing artistic project on collective behaviour that probably started around 2011 with Tragedy of the Commons.
So far, these new glass sheets, prints, video and sound recordings are yet to be exhibited. Since the trip to Brazil, I’ve worked with various entomology labs in Lausanne, Paris, Konstanz and Sao Paulo to study and manipulate the collective behaviour of ants, robots, nanoparticles, birds and other organisms.
