Display stand "Leaf Cutters"
Pavilion Floriculture, VDNKh, Moscow
The stand is designed to contain and exhibit a large colony of leaf-cutting ants. There are two exhibit parts: the lower (underground) part, where the nest itself is located, made in strict accordance with the natural layout of the nest (including ventilation shafts and an input/output system, and the above-ground part, where the ants go to search for leaves and transport them to the nest. To make the process of delivering leaves as spectacular as possible (this is what primarily attracts viewers), we developed and used a system of rope conveyors, thanks to which we achieved the maximum length of the path from the place where the food is placed to the nest - 10 meters.
The stand is equipped with illumination of all possible spaces and objects, including controlled focal illumination of individual objects (queen chamber, ventilation shaft, entrance to the nest, food plant) using interactive control buttons, allowing the visitor to visually study the structure of the ants' nest.
And a little about the production process. There are currently no stands with leaf-cutting ants of a similar layout anywhere in the world. We have visited many world exhibitions and met with leading world experts on this species, so before we started designing and creating this stand, we conducted a large number of experiments on the behavior of leaf-cutting ants in the conditions that were eventually created in our stand. We designed several test stands in our laboratory for an experimental colony of leaf-cutting ants, where we selected the conditions and combinations of factors that affect the correct behavior of the colony and its comfortable living in its new home. The tests continued during the construction of the stand, so we had to add and provide for some things, as they say, on the fly, urgently changing the production schedule. But without this, as practice shows, no creative process can do, which ultimately brings a wonderful result.
Specifically for this stand we brought one of the world's largest captive colonies of Atta sp. from Trinidad, which is now awaiting completion of preparatory work in the pavilion for its settlement in the stand.
