A new season at the Science Gallery at King’s College London will dive into the oral orifice with artists and scientists to explore the visceral space of the mouth, and everything inside it. Prior to the venue opening in 2017, Science Gallery London’s ‘Mouthy’ season will include events, activities and installations held in and around Guy’s Campus at King’s College London, with other campus venues to be confirmed.
We put our mouths through endless daily rituals – they are prodded, poked, and realigned, brushed, scraped and refined. But this remarkable portal to our gut is also the gateway to self expression and communication. Our mouths are powerful tools that can inspire everything from love and ecstasy to fear and loathing. From fillings and tooth tattoos to split tongues and pierced lips, mouths provide visual cues about who we are and where we have come from.
Science Gallery London has announced an open call for proposals for ‘Mouthy’ and is especially interested in innovative projects that explore themes and topics including:
- The salivating mouth – the essential role of spit.
- Healthy/unhealthy mouths – exploring bacteria and its impact on our mouths.
- Sensational mouths – from pain to pleasure, our mouths are sensational spaces.
- Changing mouths – how mouths have evolved and how the architecture of the mouth affects communication.
- The unique mouth – how our mouths and their contents make us physically, socially and culturally distinctive, providing a platform for self expression.
- Future mouths – scientists are now able to re-grow teeth for mice from stem cells. What will mouths of the future be like?
- Animal mouths – Herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, invertebrate.
Head of programming, Jen Wong said: “We’re especially looking for participatory projects that will engage our core 15 to 25 year old audience. I’d love to see proposals that defy traditional categories, and I really hope to see some creative collaboration between people from all walks of life. Our open call model means that literally anyone with a good idea can submit a proposal.”
Science Gallery London is seeking up to 15 events, activities, workshops, performances and artworks for this season. Proposals will be funded up to a maximum budget of £2,500. Two outstanding original works may be commissioned with a higher budget of up to £5,000. Costs should cover all artist fees, travel and materials. Please note that these are maximum amounts, not targets.
‘Mouthy’ will be curated by:
- Gina Czarnecki – artist
- Saoirse O’Toole – clinical researcher and dentist, Dental Institute, King’s College London
- Professor Andrea Strait – associate dean for research, Dental Institute, King’s College London
- Professor Abigail Tucker – director of postgraduate research, Dental Institute, King’s College London
- Dr Daniel Glaser – director, Science Gallery at King’s College London
Deadline for submissions is March 13, 2016, at 17:00 GMT. More information on the call for applications can be found at https://opencall.sciencegallery.com/mouthy
The ‘Mouthy’ season opens to the public on July 1, 2016, and will run until the end of November, 2016.