Thatch by Daniel Menche

Formica Obscuripes, more commonly known as Western Thatching Ants, are very common in the Northwest of North America. While I was on Vashon Island in Washington state, I found a gigantic anthill that stood nearly 5ft tall. Thousands of ants built this hill with their relentless hard work. I took two piezo contact mics and placed them on the top of the hill with a hard left/right pan to a recorder. I hit record and captured these mighty ants crawling and scratching my microphones. I made this recording in the late afternoon and also early the next morning to capture any differences in ant activity due to the time of day, but it appeared that they worked just as hard at both times. This recording is "as-is" without any mastering or effects. Some EQ was involved and also some slight edits of the two different moments were made to make this recording cohesive.

Daniel Menche: abstract musician and photography artist.

Portland Oregon.

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