Rivane Neuenschwander

Quarta-Feira de Cinzas/Epilogue (2006) 

Quarta-Feira de Cinzas/Epilogue (2006)

Quarta-Feira de Cinzas/Epilogue (2006)

Quarta-Feira de Cinzas/Epilogue (2006)

Pertence. Nao pertence. - Belong. Not belong (2000)

Rivane Neuenschwander in collaboration with Cao Guimaraes, Stills from Quarta-Feira de Cinzas/Epilogue (2006), DVD projection; 5 minutes, 45 seconds.

Brazilian artist Rivane Neuenschwander’s Quarta-Feira de Cinzas/Epilogue (2006)  is a short video depicting ants carrying sugar-soaked pieces of confetti across the floor of a rainforest. Created in collaboration with Brazilian filmmaker Cao Guimarães, the video reveals a society where red and black ants of various sizes work together and rival one another while transporting the colorful confections to and from their nest. Accompanying the film is a soundtrack by O Grivo, a Brazilian experimental band, featuring a samba rhythm mixed with the ambient sounds of the rainforest. Together the audio and visual components combine to create a poetic and playful work that explores the blurred boundaries between the natural and constructed world.

Quarta-Feira de Cinzas, literally translated as Ash Wednesday, is the restful and melancholic day following the lavish, spectacular parties of the annual Carnival celebration in Brazil. In lush color and with masterful filmic techniques, Quarta-Feira de Cinzas/Epilogue captures typically unseen moments on the forest floor while suggesting a playful scenario in which the viewer might imagine the ants to be cleaning up in the aftermath of Carnival’s revelry.