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Formicidae: subterranean galleries (2020)

Laura Tuccan. Clay sculpture and photography. 7.8in x 7.8in x 3.9in.

     “Formicidae: subterranean galleries” was one of the first art works that I created and developed using biomimicry research in 2020 as a student of Visual Arts at @belasartes. The art work begins with the study of the earth from its relationship with the beings that inhabit it, especially the architecture and engineering developed by the sauba ants (genus Atta), a Brazilian symbol. "The external and internal architecture of Attas nests is related to the ecology and behavior of these ants, since nests are considered as superorganisms and individuals behave in ways that favor their development and specialization" (WILSON, 1975). The work proposes questions about spaces and non-spaces. The art work proposes questions about spaces and non-spaces and the contribution that the study of these organisms can bring to the human species. It replicates an anthill of the Atta species seeking the organicity found in the biophysical space, contrasting empty galleries with massive clay forms and allowing an inverted view of the interior of a natural anthill. This opposition is strengthened through photography, allowing a conversation about spatialities both by viewing the interior and by the correspondence between the opposing voids as the camera moves and changes its perspective.

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