Pierre Huyghe Umwelt, 2011

Umwelt is an environment created by allowing 10.000 ants of the family “polyrhachlis dives” to co-inhabit the gallery space with a group of domestic spiders. Ants and spiders travel freely on ceiling, floor and walls. In the course of the work's duration different behavioral pattern of the animals becomes apparent: While the ants form trails or disperse in groups the spiders remain alone. Some of the spiders inhabit the corners of the room, others are freely walking around. The entrance of the ants nest is at eye level suggesting an analogy with an art work hanging on the wall.