MOUTHFEEL
2024
Black walnut, cast pewter
The mouth is a primary entrance to the body and the tongue that resides there is capable of many things. It’s a gatekeeper, a sticky muscle that can be truthful, or not; helpful, or not.
Mouthfeel is a term meant to describe the sensation of having something in your mouth, typically food but maybe other things - a lie? A secret? Beyond common descriptors of taste and texture, mouthfeel strives to encompass the complexity of an experience, but what an absurd word. It makes me think of phrases like “tip of the tongue”, “lying through your teeth”, “silver tongued”. What is the mouthfeel of something left unsaid?
This tongue is carved from a warm black walnut with cold metal popcorn kernels stuck, sunk, and dripping.
Splat.
Exhibited at APPENDIX GALLERY, Chicago IL
Photo credit: Laveen Gammie