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Apparently this is a thing

Yeah its pretty neat,

they did one with concrete and dug it out.

It was bigger than a few buses put side by side.

I hate fire ants

Yeah, I've seen this before. Looks damn cool, but I'm sure we'll get somebody saying "Think of the ants!" before long.

I'll just say the same thing said when last we had this thread, it's quicker and surer than poisoning an ant hill.

Normally I'd say killing things for no purpose is sort of weak. On the other hand, we've got no shortage of ants - I believe they have more biomass than humans, right?, I don't believe they are capable of feeling pain (rather than just involuntary reactions to adverse stimuli), and this could be described as art, so it's purposeful.

If they were fire ants on your property, then It's just good sense.

 Ouze wrote:
Normally I'd say killing things for no purpose is sort of weak. On the other hand, we've got no shortage of ants - I believe they have more biomass than humans, right?, I don't believe they are capable of feeling pain (rather than just involuntary reactions to adverse stimuli), and this could be described as art, so it's purposeful.

If they were fire ants on your property, then It's just good sense.

Fire ants are fine candidates for this treatment.

The ants died for science and art.

I've no FooFoo feeling for Fire Ants. Keep pouring Airborne

Not only is it cool looking art, but I'd speculate that there is some scientific value to these (ie, if you create a mold of multiple fire ant colonies within a certain square footage/square mileage of each other)

Either way, it's pretty damn cool, and yeah, I've already seen some animal rights articles based from these artists' work. (i won't post them, because I completely disagree in this case)

While it's cool, I'd debate whether someone can really claim artistic credit for pouring metal down a hole they didn't dig.

 LordofHats wrote:
While it's cool, I'd debate whether someone can really claim artistic credit for pouring metal down a hole they didn't dig.

A photographer can take an award winning picture of a animal or a sunset they also did not create, yes?

Well, he deserves an award for smoking a Fire Ant hill..

 Ouze wrote:


A photographer can take an award winning picture of a animal or a sunset they also did not create, yes?

Except they can manipulate angle and lighting all kinds of other stuff. This sounds like its just pouring metal down a hole. It's the ants art not theirs XD

 LordofHats wrote:


Except they can manipulate angle and lighting all kinds of other stuff. This sounds like its just pouring metal down a hole. It's the ants art not theirs XD

While this isn't quite "found art" there is that whole movement that does go out and find art, then display it as is... aka, "found art"... So i'd say that since there is some work to be done in order to get a finished "product" its more artistic than a urinal from a building renovation (no kidding, an art history book claims that this item was shown in a museum/gallery as art)

Yup, at least you have to melt down the aluminum and pour it down the hole. Molten metal is not something too be treated lightly.

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

 LordofHats wrote:


Except they can manipulate angle and lighting all kinds of other stuff. This sounds like its just pouring metal down a hole. It's the ants art not theirs XD

While this isn't quite "found art" there is that whole movement that does go out and find art, then display it as is... aka, "found art"... So i'd say that since there is some work to be done in order to get a finished "product" its more artistic than a urinal from a building renovation (no kidding, an art history book claims that this item was shown in a museum/gallery as art)

The value of the urinal as art isn't because the urinal is an innately artistic object. But it's display amidst other objects of high artistic merit makes a statement, and it's that statement that may or may not have artistic merit of it's own.

In any event, there's far more work that goes into THIS than goes into some forms of abstract painting.

 LordofHats wrote:

Except they can manipulate angle and lighting all kinds of other stuff. This sounds like its just pouring metal down a hole. It's the ants art not theirs XD

I imagine there's more to it than that. Just off the top of my head: you have to get the right sort of alloy, at the right temperature, while pouring it at the correct rate in order to achieve optimal results. Sort of like how mixing paint and applying a single color to a canvass is more than just painting a canvass red.

 Jimsolo wrote:

In any event, there's far more work that goes into THIS than goes into some forms of abstract painting.

http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/giving-art-a-chance-to-defend-itself

Truly.

Its Nature Art though. He was bringing out the form of her artistry with molten aluminum

 LordofHats wrote:
Except they can manipulate angle and lighting all kinds of other stuff. This sounds like its just pouring metal down a hole. It's the ants art not theirs XD

Hey, I didn't say it was good art.

It is art, just not made by humans

All art is made by humans as art is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination.

This is awesome, plus, EVERYBODY DIES! I'm so happy!

I have a few trillion fire ants they can do this to. I won't even charge them.

 dogma wrote:

 LordofHats wrote:

Except they can manipulate angle and lighting all kinds of other stuff. This sounds like its just pouring metal down a hole. It's the ants art not theirs XD

I imagine there's more to it than that. Just off the top of my head: you have to get the right sort of alloy, at the right temperature, while pouring it at the correct rate in order to achieve optimal results. Sort of like how mixing paint and applying a single color to a canvass is more than just painting a canvass red.

Oh, definitely. Aluminium is a right PITA to cast properly, not counting the fact that you need to have some way to melt it in the first place.

The concrete one is a bit more impressive in terms of scale but this looks nicer.

So how many dead ants are stuck in those sculptures? It's like Han Solo x 1,000,000.

They'd be nothing more than ash embedded in the aluminum.

They probably explode like popcorn when it hits them and boils the water inside their exoskeletons.

Too bad Westboro Baptist isn't built from a tunnel system.

 SlaveToDorkness wrote:
Too bad Westboro Baptist isn't built from a tunnel system.

Wow... for some odd reason, I initially read that as Westeros Baptist, which would make things.... interesting to say the least.