DOLLYWORLD

What is Dollyworld

Dollyworld is an exploration of the nature of humans and ants as co-workers, operating in the same space but in separate worlds. As a neurodivergent individual, I have difficulty understanding social expectations at the best of times, and often am left feeling alien. When considering ants, I find it remarkable that an animal so biologically different from humans can thrive in our habitats, and does so with behaviors often similar to our own. Another aspect of the project is how ants accomplish tasks and problem solve together, in a setting where groups of humans accomplish tasks largely individually, the office building. Furthermore, through observation of the enigmatic behavior of the ants I wanted to question the abstracted or impersonal nature of the work done in these kinds of environments. The goal of this piece is to raise questions on our relationships not only with other social species, but with each other, and the understanding or lack thereof of our own lives.
It is also, simply, an office building for ants.

The world of Dollyworld

The "Dolls" of Dollyworld

Dollyworld, as well as being a conceptual art piece, was always intended to be a habitat occupied by an ant colony. Over the course of several months I researched how I would go about finding habitants for the space, but due to constraints of time, material, weather, and the FDA, it currently remains unoccupied. However, for a period of a few days, I attempted to introduce a small colony of Aphaenogaster rudis, a common species of ant here in the eastern United States. Due most likely to the size of the colony relative to the nest of Dollyworld, they rejected taking up residence. However, the video footage that resulted from this provides a fascinating look at the collaborative decision making of ants. Below is a highlight edit of some of the footage.