In this three minute video, you’ll watch an artist create a unique piece of art using hot molten aluminum and an active anthill. It certainly isn’t something you’d try at home.
For starters, the artist has a bucket of hot molten aluminum which he slowly pours down the top opening of an anthill which stands 5 to 6 inches above the ground. The process is painstaking and takes roughly 45 seconds to pour the metal into the nest until the ground beneath it becomes unstable.
Suddenly, the anthill begins to buckle under the intense heat of the aluminum and the pressure of gases needing to below out of itl. It is at this point that the anthill looks like a volcano with gases spewing out from multiple points. The entire structure begins to look like a bubble until it cools sufficiently. After the structure has cooled, it is carefully dug out with the artist making sure it is not damaged. He then pulls it out of the ground and begins washing it off with a hose.
As the dirt falls off the anthill, a shiny silver structure is revealed showing the intricate network of tunnels which formed the anthill. Eventually, the structure is inverted as it is put on display.
This gives it a Christmas tree-like appearance. The anthill measured a height of 18 inches tall. The diameter at the widest point was 13 inches. The weight of the sculpture was 17.9 lbs. It is a fascinating piece of art despite the fact that all of the ants were sacrificed to create it.