When a man poured molten metal into an empty ant nest, no one knew what he was up to at first. But after he dug the nest up, it was clear to see that he had created something special.

When the unknown man poured molten metal into the ant nest below, his actions no doubt raised a few eyebrows. After all, to the untrained eye, it seemed that he simply wanted to destroy the colony assumed to be present within. When the guy dug the nest up, though, it became clear that he’d made something magical.

In 2003 someone posted a strange video on YouTube. The title was ambiguous; it was “Casting a Fire Ant Colony with Molten Aluminum (Cast #043).” However, that didn’t stop the vid from becoming immensely popular.

The footage begins with a couple of close-up shots of an ant nest in the middle of some grass. At the same time, the film’s creator measures the mound before producing a bucket of liquid. He then proceeds to pour the fluid through a hole and into the nest.

The liquid in question is, in fact, molten aluminum. And as the bucket tilts, viewers can see the substance sparkle as it streams into the nest. Once he has filled the underground structure, the mysterious man in the video then puts his bucket back down.

At this point, the mound seems to take on a life of its own. It screeches and gargles as the molten metal settles within. Steaming as it does so, the pile heaves before coming to a standstill once more.

Once the nest has cooled, the man in the video uses a trowel to remove the top layer of earth. He then starts digging around the structure, destroying the nest walls completely. Then, when the construction is freed, he lifts the metal-filled nest up onto solid ground.

Next, the guy uses a power hose to clean up the now solid aluminum. Using the jet of water, he removes every scrap of dirt from the impressive structure – and what he unveils is completely astonishing.

The video was posted by a YouTube user called Anthill Art. In his work he uses molten aluminum to cast a number of items, including ant colonies. He then sells his art works online using eBay.

Ants live in extremely complex structures, and each of their subterranean nests features a maze of intricate tunnels that connect a number of levels. Amazingly, too, crews of worker ants work tirelessly to maintain the chambers.

Hence, when molten aluminum is poured into an ant nest – with or without the insects inside – it fills the tunnels within the formation. And once the metal has cooled, the artist is left with a perfect mold of the ant hill structure. In fact, because the casts are so accurate, they’re often of great use to educational and research facilities.

What’s more, not only are the works informative, but they are also stunningly beautiful. The cast that Anthill Art created in his 2003 video resulted in an enormous object. It weighed almost 18 pounds, measured 18 inches in height and was certainly a feast for the eyes.

In fact, the piece of art mesmerized people. In a matter of months, more than 7 million had viewed the video online, and since then, that figure has grown to an impressive 94 million.

However, many people were quick to criticize the controversial video. Some people believed that what Anthill Art was doing is immensely cruel, especially if the artist poured the molten metal into the nest while ants were present.

“Your video and art made me first sick to my stomach and then made me so angry,” one disgruntled viewer wrote on the Anthill Art Facebook page. “How can you call yourself an artist? Is murder an art?”

“You think so, obviously,” they continued. “Guess you never grew out of your childish need to kill animals, insects and who knows what else, in order to feel powerful. These are innocent creatures with amazing colonies which took them who knows how long to build.”

And others agreed with the impassioned response. “This isn’t right. Killing thousands of living creatures in the name of art. I’m not a PETA supporter but this is just inhumane,” another person wrote in the comments beneath Anthill Art’s YouTube video.

In fact, the criticism grew to the extent that the artist behind the video came forward to defend himself. He claimed that the ant nest belonged to a colony of fire ants, which can give nasty bites. And because of the insects’ bites, many authorities are actually trying to cull the insects.

In general, the artist said that he tries to make his art responsibly. “I try to find abandoned nests but it doesn’t always work out. Either way, I do it sparingly and the property is still overrun with them,” he said in a statement quoted by Metro in 2013.

Meanwhile, Paul Hetherington, a spokesperson from insect conservation organization Buglife, told Metro that he approved of the art form. “If the nest is empty, we would support this casting as it raises awareness to the fantastic architectural prowess of ants,” he said. “However, if the ants are still present it is an extremely cruel way to kill them, of which we disapprove as they are effectively boiled alive.”

Meanwhile, although his work has proved controversial, the owner of Anthill Art has showed no signs of stopping. Indeed, his Facebook page now boasts more than 37,000 followers. And despite what people may feel about how his art is created, there’s no denying the fact that it highlights the beauty of the natural world.