Cast #010 - Aluminum Fire Ant Colony Casting

Aluminum Fire Ant Colony Cast #010 - Front Picture.
Ant Type: Fire Ants (Solenopsis genus)

Cast Number: #010
Created: 2/24/2013
Cast Weight: 18.4 lb

Cast Material: Aluminum
Cast Dimensions: 15.5"x12"x14.5" (HxWxL)

Base: Stained Wood Oval
Base Dimensions: 0.75"x11"x14" (HxWxL)


Mount: No mounting, cast sits on base
Orientation: Upside Down
Description
This is one of the first successful casts that I made and was the largest one yet at the time. It turned out great and is still one of my favorite casts, with a very unique shape and structure that I have yet to find again. It's very large, but more compacted and rounded than others of a similar weight, and has an extremely dense tunnel structure without many of the larger chambers. As a bonus, the aluminum turned out shinier than usual.

This cast is on permanent display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago as part of their Numbers in Nature exhibit which opened in October 2014. The exhibit theme is mathematical and repeating patterns found in nature. The text of the exhibit identifies me has having been a farmer which is not actually the case. I just wanted to point that out and really don't mind. It's actually kind of funny to people who know me. I think it was probably a simple mistake or misunderstanding.
Base Description
The first pictures (white background) are my pictures of the cast as I had it displayed but the museum has mounted it in a different way (seen in the last few pics).