RELAX
2019
Anxiety is a luxury
TMW 01, 2019
Callebaut white chocolate, 2 x 2 x 0.5 inches
TMW 01 (back), 2019
Callebaut white chocolate, 2 x 2 x 0.5 inches
And so is relaxation
DCM 01, 02, 03; 2019
Guittard semisweet chocolate; dimensions variable; 2 x 2 x 0.5 inches approx average
This body of work features a combination of white and dark, edible chocolate mouth guards. Cacao, originally from Mesoamerica, was used by Aztecs in ritual practices. Taken to Europe by Spanish colonizers, its success birthed the chocolate industry that brought along a thriving slave market and the spread of plantations among colonized nations. The Aztec word for chocolate, Cacahuatl, was appropriated by the Spanish language, who added the letter O to its abbreviation "Caca"— which in Spanish means feces.
White chocolate, made from cocoa butter only with no cocoa solids, is a 20th century invention. It is the fatty by-product of the dark chocolate making process. Cocoa beans are over fifty percent cocoa butter, a residue that was formerly unused and discarded. Its manufacture and commercialization were merely a financial decision.
The dark chocolate mouth guards are cast in multiple sizes to fit different mouths. They are meant for an interactive performance-based installation in which attendees will be invited to wear the chocolate mouth guards and let them melt in their mouth. The video title And so is relaxation demonstrates the right way to eat a dark chocolate mouth guard. The mouth guard should be inserted carefully and allowed to melt slowly inside the mouth. Smiles and social interactions are encouraged while experiencing the flavor and embracing the awkwardness of having dirty teeth in public. No chewing is permitted.
White chocolate mouth guards are meant to be eaten instantly when placed in mouth. Vigorous chewing is encouraged. Enjoy the satisfaction of the idea of eating your teeth— a common reflex response that involuntarily happens when sleeping and grinding teeth due to stress— thus creating the need to wear a mouth guard. Anxiety is a luxury and so is relaxation.
Eating My Teeth performance
December 29th 2019
20 Grand, NYC
Dark Chocolate Mouth Guard Party happening
Date TBA
(open to the public)
Eating My Teeth screening
Pete’s Candy Store, NYC
February 15th 2020
Curated by Alison Pirie & Christina Dietz