Meimer & Momeni ‘The Tragedy of the Commons’

After the recommendation of my flatmates, I went to the Palais de Tokyo in Paris to see an art installation featuring ants! Aside from a fascinating subject matter, and an impressive set up (see video below) the work highlighted an issue which strikes to the heart of our conflict with nature. The exhibit consisted of a network of separate chambers containing the nest, fungal garden, and resource base of Atta leaf cutter ants. In addition, recordings of vocalisations/’clickings’ were projected throughout the room, resulting in the surreal experience of being able hear the communication of an otherwise silent exchange.

The artists explain their choice of medium by stating that ants are ubiquitous and that the observer will have no doubt have seen them in a different context. But by displaying their complete network, we can identify with these creatures who at first seem inherently different; finding food, building homes, raising children and building a society are all traits that humanity admire. 

The title of the exhibit refers to the economic theory proposed by Hardin in 1968. He describes our unchecked withdrawal of resources and increasing population as an inescapable downward spiral. He illustrates the problem by using the analogy of a common heath-land, owned by no one, but shared by numerous farmers who graze their cattle on the land. By adding a cow to the common, an individual farmer will increase his increment by +1, with the cost of this increased grazing (-1) split across all farmers so that only a fraction of the loss is felt individually. This loss can be compensated for by the simple addition of another cow, but since the resource of the common is finite, eventually profit will run dry.

 “Each man is locked into a system that compels him to increase his heard without limit- in a world that is limited. Ruin is the destination towards which all men rush, each pursuing his own best interest in society that believes in the freedom of the commons. Freedom of the commons brings ruin to all.”

Meimer & Momeni show that leaf cutter ants, unlike humans, have managed to allocate resources appropriately, extract them sustainably and communicate resource levels to one another. Observing at a small scale, the movements of the ants appears chaotic, but viewing the whole network order emerges from individual action. The secret to the success of ants is that despite any apparent central control, the material gathered is not of profit to the individual but to the super-organism colony. Human nature is much more self-centred, and as such we must make a conscious effort to instil a sense of moral responsibility in resource allocation.