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Mouthy: into the orifice

From the science of snogging to spit crystals and tongue-casting, MOUTHY: INTO THE ORIFICE invites visitors to explore the hidden world inside the mouth and asks them consider their own relationship with this amazing portal of self-expression.

This experimental pre-opening season from Science Gallery London comprises the whole spectrum of art and science, from contemporary dance to performance poetry, immersive installations to workshops. MOUTHY brings together a diverse range of collaborative projects to make people re-examine their relationship with the mouth.

For one week from 5 July, audiences will be able to experience MOUTHY events in ‘The Orifice’, a pop-up venue in a disused railway tunnel in London Bridge. There will be lots more events running in surprising locations around London Bridge from September to November.

The main focus of the July events is saliva: magnifying it, investigating its properties and finding out what it says about us.

King's College London's Dental Institute has been heavily involved with the launch phase of the season, with the Salivary Research Group collaborating with the Spit Crystal team and the Hawk this Way feature.

 

The features include: 

  • Spit Crystal – visitors will be asked to contribute their saliva to a collective spit crystal. A healthy person produces between 0.75 and 1.5 litres of saliva each day, and 0.5% of it provides an insight into who we are: the biological blueprint held in our DNA. A project devised by Inés Cámara Leret.

  • Terminal Sulcus – an installation of tongue casts created by Beatrice Haines, along with materials to allow visitors to create a unique cast of their tongue.

  • Saliva Moon – in which participants are able to have their spittle magnified and projected on to a wall, revealing what appear to be magnificent lunar landscapes. A live performance by Briony Clarke.

  • Science of Snogging – share your kiss stories inside a gold caravan, as performers Rosie Wilby and Amie Taylor discuss the science, history and anthropology behind kissing. Features involvement from Dental Postdoc Rebecca Baab as well. 

  • Microbe Mouth – Scientists Melissa Grant and Rachel Sammons along with bioartist Anna Dumitriu will reveal unique teeth they have grown using bacteria, as well as guiding people through glazing their own ceramic tooth.

  • Kiss Culture – in 2009, over 2000 blood agar plates were kissed at Science Gallery Dublin, then incubated to facilitate the growth of the natural flora (primarily staphylococci and streptococci) which everyone carries on their lips. The plates were photographed and a selection will be projected.

  • Hawk This Way – writer and curator Ruth Garde explores the language, history, science and culture of saliva, the conflicting feelings of attraction and repulsion around saliva, and the origins of spit-based phrases we use every day.

 

Daniel Glaser, Director of Science Gallery London, said: ‘I’m so excited to see the results from the intriguing collaborations that have evolved through the open call and conversations with researchers and students at King's College London. The launch event on 5 July will give a taster of what’s to come and offers a chance to contribute bits of your own mouth to the season.’
After the events from 5-12 July, MOUTHY: INTO THE ORIFICE starts in earnest in September and runs until November. Find out more about the full season at https://london.sciencegallery.com/mouthy/.