TAKING THE BAIT

Andrea Charuk is currently an Orvis Artist in Residence at the Contemporary Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Her project entitled "Take the Bait"uses various sugar based syrups to attract ants, who in turn form a collaborative to create works of art for her.  I sat down with my friend this past weekend to get a glimpse of her process and to probe her mind.  


GOOD HABITS:  Why did you decide to apply for this residency?


CHARUK:  I find that a lot of times when I try to integrate into these systems, into the formal art world, I am embarrassed more often than not but I find that by being embarrassed I get to learn a lot.  You know when you say something dumb, and you're like "oh that was dumb", you learn from that experience?  You get to measure yourself against other brains and within that process and you become confident in your viewpoint...everyone else has something to say I might as well go for it.

Can you describe your project?


It started a couple of years ago, I was eating a bowl of cereal, it was Cheerios with honey on it, I went to take a shower and when I came back ants had taken over the honey residue at the bottom of my bowl.  We like to look at ants and are kind of disgusted by them, they are sort of a nuisance and they drive everybody crazy.  I started thinking of them as laborers.  You can't beat them, you always try to control these ant populations and they just own you.  I started to think of how I could manipulate them and their collective genius to do something for me.  I wanted to explore that in a way that was comical but also exposes a system, exposes something that we are all a part of as far as the outsourcing of labor. Theres something interesting with communicating with a work force that is not within your communication skills.  Im trying to lure in a completely different species and celebrate their collective amazingness.

So, Honey?


Honey seems to be a really good lure.  It is very high in fructose.  It also has transparent properties, I really wanted to ants to be the creators of the images.  I also am trying corn syrup and coconut syrup, they like the coconut syrup pretty good but it doesn't hold it's body as well as honey.  Honey is really nice because it has a thick body and you can do a lot of stuff with it.  You can use it like an art material.

What makes a good ant workspace?


It's been a really scientific process, a lot of the processes that I use within art are very scientific.  I take a lot of data down.  I laid out 8 different tracking variables, each paper had three different kinds of lure, three different syrups.  Corn, coco and honey.  I recorded where I was going to put them and whether if it was shady or sunny and what time of day it was; just to see if there was a finite time where they would come out and how long it would take.  All those things.  I put one in a flower bed near water, I put one by the entrance where I know they live in the walls and a couple others around the perimeter of the building.  They don't really care for the rain.  They don't like the sun for some reason, also the corn syrup forms a film in the sun that is impenetrable, which is super lame.  They are pretty finicky as a work force actually.  They are very powerful and do what they want but they kind of have to be looked after.  They dont really care for it if it is really windy. If I get within five feet they just disperse.  I thought it was going to be this easy thing! It was going to be easy to be this powerful force but really they are going to do what they want you to do!  You have to try hard for them.

How does the museum goer get involved?


The exhibit is called "Take the Bait".  I think that its twofold.  I think that the ants can take the bait but i also I want people to take the bait that this is actually a legitimate art project.  I sometimes dont feel like it is.  I want the viewer to take the bait.  I think if you want to look into my project in a cerebral way you can because I know that people need that bullshit but I also want it to be really fun.  I want kids to come in here and just splatter paint if they want.  I want kids to think its magic and I want stuck up museum adults to think its intelligent.

CHECK HER OUT HERE:
http://www.communecollect.com/portfolio.php?id=36


TAKE THE BAIT! VISIT ANDREA!
SATURDAYS, 10AM-4AM AND SUNDAYS NOON-4PM. 
UNTIL JUNE 3RD.

andi in her workspace

setting up 

can you see the little ants?