The Chosen

THE CHOSEN

The Chosen is from “The Leafcutters” series – a project that includes video, photography, drawing and sculpture.

For this video I wanted the parade of leafcutter ants to resemble a ritualistic procession, similar to a Balinese festival where special offering are brought to honor a god. I collected flowers from the forest and found ones the ants liked. The video follows this colorful parade of ants as they traverse the forest and enter their underground colony. They descend through a labyrinth of tunnels to the heart of their colony where they lay their offerings at the feet of their idol – a golden ant. Through the ceremony they bury the idol. The underground scenes were shot in sets made of clay and dirt and I worked with a jeweler to create the detailed four inch, 18 karat gold ant.

It was filmed on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica and is in post-production.
Sound design: Charles Lindsay