Nocturnal forage

(WIP), single channel video, 8:14 minutes, 2024

A single bull ant wanders through leaf litter seeking prey for her larvae back in the nest.

Who does she encounter on her wanderings?

Who is watching?

What entanglements are hidden there?

What gives colour to her world?

This bull ant was filmed in bushland near Lindfield NSW – a magical setting which exists close to urban life. The film will be developed into a longer work incorporating many of the other living things that give meaning to the ant’s world. A Canon macro lens was trialled for the first time here, with post-production software used to shift the colour spectrum from our own to the bull ant’s of blues, greens, yellows and (simulated) ultraviolet. Unlike most ants that use pheromones, the bull ant uses her superior eye sight to navigate and hunt, featuring three photoreceptors like humans and seeing up to 1.5 metres. This relatively recent discovery highlights the need for deeper explorations of more-than-human realms such as hers that are right under our noses.

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