The Tragedy of the Commons at the Palais de Tokyo

A bunch of leaf cutter ants are going about their business in a plexiglass structure, which
is adapted to the ant colony as a home and to people as a work of art. The sound of the ants is amplified in the four corners of the room.

The tragedy of the commons itself is the idea that a bunch of people working together, even with the best of intentions will eventually deplete their resources.

There is a video of an animal behavior expert talking about the behavior of the ants.
It is very fascinating to watch the ants going about their business. The leaf cutter ants are offered various things to cut on various stands. They seem to enjoy the leaves and bits of flowers they are offered, however they ignore the book which has so thoughtfully been placed on the stand. At the far end of the room through a tunnel of plexiglass is the site where all the construction materials take form into a hive or common living space.