As a point departure, Hyland was drawn to the particular mutualistic relationship as described between the cecropia plant and the Azteca genus of native ants, a phenomenon that has been the basis of substantial scientific research. The São Paolo experience provided for the artist included time for reflection in both senses, on the banks of the Rio Negro, a major tributary of the Amazon river, identified as the largest blackwater river on the planet. Hyland experienced it as visually impenetrable, observing its potential for both nutrition and predators, and was fascinated by its seductive beauty and reflective surface.