By The Merlino Gallery is shrouded in pitch-black curtains on all four walls, and a layer of ceramic teeth covers the entire floor.
A year and a half ago, artist Christine Hudson, a senior ceramics student, was playing videogames when she found out via Facebook that her transgender friend had committed suicide.
“I was so out of whack that I couldn’t do anything,” Hudson said.
Hudson was sculpting ceramic teeth for a different project at the time. As a coping mechanism, she continued to create the teeth without any reason other than to keep busy.
As she made them, Hudson said she knew she wanted to create something with the teeth, but nothing “stuck.” About 2,000 teeth in, she said she had the epiphany of putting the teeth on the floor. Hudson decided to use the teeth for her solo art exhibit in commemoration of her late friend.
As an interactive art piece, viewers are invited to walk on the teeth in order to reach the back wall to view the artist’s statement. Viewers can walk, sit, lay and even make “snow angels” in the teeth.
“The whole point of [viewers] walking on the teeth is for them to feel discomfort in their own body,” Hudson said. “I was trying to put the views in my friend’s perspective.”
Sarah Borean
Hudson invites viewers to walk on ceramic teeth, intending for them to feel physical discomfort, paying homage to her deceased friend.
Hudson said in her artist statement that her friend’s suicide must have been freedom from “all the people who denied” her friend their “own body” and “own identity.”
Hudson spent six months sculpting ceramic teeth by hand, spending any and all free time making them.
She estimated that she made 125,000 individual teeth, weighing around 15 hundred pounds. Hudson created human incisors, canines, pre-molars and molars out of ceramic clay.
The exhibit has no definite name, but Hudson said the working title is “Grief.”
Hudson said she chose to hang black curtains to give a “mood of memorial.” Hudson kept the reason behind the teeth a secret until the unveiling of her exhibit.
“I wanted to people going in unknowing,” Hudson said. “I wanted to mimic me finding out that my friend committed suicide…I wanted viewers to feel this uncomfortableness.”
Hudson said after understanding the meaning of the exhibit, people see the teeth differently. She said once viewers read the artist’s statement, they treat it as a “super sacred place.”
Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, Hudson said. Many viewers leave the exhibit somber and quiet. She said several feel the need to make physical contact by giving her a hug or a pat on the back “as understanding.”
“I see a lot of people come out, and they want to say something, but they can’t,” Hudson said.
Julia Angulo, a senior photography student said it was overwhelming to have to walk on the teeth just to read the statement.
“Walking in at first is like a spectacle,” Angulo said. “But when you find out the content behind it, it adds a heaviness to the work.”
The exhibit will run through Oct. 23 in the Merlino Art Gallery, in the Fine Art Building.
[…] This is a Density greatest dream!!! a room covered with teeth from corner to corner! When I first saw this I was like ” ok well the information sheet is all the way on the other side of the wall… how am I suppose to read it? wait am I allowed to walk on the rocks?” I quickly looked around and this guy just walked in like nothing! He reassured me that we can walk on it. therefore I took a step onto these ‘rocks’. I wasn’t until I really looked and picked one up that I noticed they are teeth!! a room for of teeth! crazy right? let me tell you, walking on top of fake hand made teeth is kind of irking. it really was giving my the chills.. but I didn’t realize what this art piece meant yet. I would of guessed a guy had a phobia of wisdom teeth or the dentist. but it wasn’t until you read the description of why he made all these teeth, that you realize there is no meaning. He was grieving and distraught so he made teeth as a copping mechanism. His friend just committed suicide, how else would you react? everyone has there way of copping with a loss and this was Hudson’s. my friend also came across an article on this art gallery after she saw my snapchat on teeth. I thought I should leave the link. just incase you want to read what Hudson had to say about his art work. http://daily49er.wpengine.com/diversions/2014/10/22/feeling-uneasy-in-your-own-body/ […]
[…] I was very weirded out and a little scared when I saw this. There was nobody around so I wasn’t sure if I could walk into the gallery. The teeth looked so fragile to me and I didn’t think we could actually go into the gallery and step on the teeth. The exhibit turned out to be interactive so I walked on the teeth and felt a great discomfort. I felt like I had to tip-toe, I think the saying “It felt like walking on eggshells” applies to this. When I read the statement I realized how sensitive the situation was. A year and a half ago the artist, Christine Hudson, found out her transgender friend had committed suicide. During that time Hudson had been sculpting teeth for a different project. She kept making teeth as a coping mechanism to deal with her friends death. When she had done about 2,000 teeth when she realized she could place the teeth on the floor for an exhibit in commemoration of her late friend. This exhibit now currently has 125,000 teeth on the floor to go through. The teeth on the floor include human incisors, canines, pre-molars and molars all made out of ceramic clay. I felt overwhelmed just standing outside looking into the gallery. Once I actually walked into it I felt so uncomfortable and a little confused as to why we were supposed to go through something like this. Hudson said in an interview with the Daily 49er, […]