"When I start to repeat myself I get bored, so I am always trying something new." -A.M

Annette Messager :
i saw her work at the High Museum in Atlanta Georgia the other day and it drastically reminded me of my earlier works Structure and what i am currently working on with the examination of the mouth. So i decided to further look into the meaning of the piece and other works of hers.

"My Vows": inspired by the ritual offerings left beside altars in Roman Catholic churches, often in gratitude for answered prayers. Ultimately, they reflect an understanding of humanity that is not categorized by physical difference. My Vows may also be understood in relation to Messager's Catholic heritage; the work resembles the assembled votive offerings left at pilgrimage sites by the faithful, which often include accumulations of handwritten notes or miniatures of ailing limbs for which cures are being sought. The work's solemn reference is characteristic of the tension between lyricism and gravity that often informs Messager's art.

The path Messager chose instead was to embrace her gender, to become an artist who interpreted life - sex, love, beauty, pain, yearning, power - through the eyes of a woman. 

She wants to free women from the roles assigned to them by men, by the marketplace, and by society. And she tries to do so through satire and caricature, using the images and materials of everyday life.

She wants to free women from the roles assigned to them by men, by the marketplace, and by society. And she tries to do so through satire and caricature, using the images and materials of everyday life.

More controversially, in "The Approaches," she followed men through streets in order to photograph the crotches of their trousers.

"It was a way of treating men as objects when it's usually women who are treated as objects," Messager explained. "Men never stop checking out women's bottoms, breasts, everything."

 My Vows, 1988–1991. Photographs, colored graphite on paper, string, black tape, and pushpins over black paper or black synthetic polymer paint. Overall size approximately 356.2 x 200cm. Museum of Modern Art. © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2010.

Thoughts on the mouth:

When we speak our own language, we don't think about “mouth mechanics” We don't think about how our jaw is moving, where we place our tongue, and how we position our teeth, etc. But try to pronounce a foreign word that has a sound which is not part of your own language – and suddenly there you are, aware that you have “a mouth full of teeth.

Main Parts of the Mouth

1. Lips: Speech and sensory receptors
2. Gums: Hold teeth in place3
3. Teeth: Break down food4
4. Tongue: used for speech, taste and moving food
5. Uvula: Directs food away from the nasal cavity into the oropharynx
6. Palate: Separates the oral cavity and nasal cavity3
7. Tonsils: Help to fight infections4

What is the function of the mouth?

Mouth

The mouth is the beginning of the digestive tract. In fact, digestion starts here as soon as you take the first bite of a meal. Chewing breaks the food into pieces that are more easily digested, while saliva mixes with food to begin the process of breaking it down into a form your body can absorb and use.

Human speech may have evolved:

researchers found that the oral-facial component of human speech mirrors the rhythm, development and internal dynamics of lip smacking, a friendly back-and-forth gesture performed by primates such as chimpanzees, baboons and macaques. The studies also show that the mechanics of primate lip smacking are distinct from those of chewing, similar to the separate mechanics of human speech and chewing.

These parallels suggest that in primates chewing and lip smacking — as with chewing and speech-related facial movement in humans — have separate neural controls, 
This research gives us insight into methods of exploring the neural basis of not only facial expression production but also its evolution and relationship to speech. Exploring the neural side of speech production and development can give us a handle on what can go wrong neurophysiologically in human communication disorders. We have few testable ideas about the neural mechanisms that go awry because there is very little work on the production side of communicative expressions.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-06-mouths-primates-facial-mechanics-human.html#jCp

Thought:

there is so much that can go wrong with the human mouth:

desise

teeth loss

etc.

But i have collected a group of mouths that are traditionally normal.....

Is the human mouth becoming something that we take for granted?

So many things can go wrong with the mouth why are we so quick to be stimulated on the surface of the device?

Challenge yourself to think about the mechanics of the mouth and what you are blessed to have.

What are we loosing when we abuse it? 

What are we then subjecting our health to?

To think it is gross

To think it is sexy

To abuse it:

1*Poor dental hygiene-

People with gum disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease compared to those don't have periodontitis. 

most likely to suffer dementia. 

research that finds gum disease could make it harder to control your blood sugar, and that treating it helps improve diabetes symptoms.

Gum disease may increase your risk of getting respiratory infections, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pneumonia, according to theJournal of Periodontology. The infections might be caused when bacteria from the mouth are inhaled into your lungs, possibly causing your airways to become inflamed.  

 Other research finds that pregnant women with gum disease might have higher odds of miscarriage.

• Oral and facial pain. pain may be largely due to infection of the gums that support the teeth and can lead to tooth loss. Gingivitis, an early stage of gum disease, and advanced gum disease affect more than 75 percent of the U.S. population.
• Problems with the heart and other major organs. Mouth infections can affect major organs. For example, the heart and heart valves can become inflamed by bacterial endocarditis, a condition that affects people with heart disease or anyone with damaged heart tissue.
• Digestion problems. Digestion begins with physical and chemical processes in the mouth, and problems here can lead to intestinal failure, irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive disorders

A black hairy tongue is caused by too much bacteria or yeast growth in the mouth. The bacteria build up on tiny rounded projections called papillae. These lie along the surface of the tongue. Instead of shedding as they normally do, the papillae start to grow and lengthen, creating hair-like projections. They can grow to 15 times their normal length.

2*Use of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, disease-

 Smoking plays a part in several diseases and lesions in the mouth, the most common being gum disease. The chance of dental implant failure is also more common among smokers than among non-smokers.

Any part of the mouth, nose or throat may be affected by cancer including the squamous epithelium: cells that form the lining of the mouth, nose, throat or voice box.

Cancer treatment can lead to severe fungal infections (candidiasis, called thrush) in the mouth. This can cause pain, difficulties in eating and longer hospital stays. Infection can sometimes spread through the body and become life-threatening.

Mouth cancer usually starts in the cells lining the mouth. The most common sites are the lips, tongue and/or floor of the mouth. Smoking and drinking alcohol are known risk factors. Mouth cancer is easily cured if treated in its earlier stages.

Dry mouth syndrome is when there is not enough saliva (spit) in the mouth. A dry mouth is a symptom of an underlying problem, rather than a disease in itself. Causes may include drugs or medication, dehydration, Sjogren's syndrome, infection, nerve problems and some cancer treatments. Dry mouth syndrome is also called xerostomia.

The tongue helps us to hold and direct the food and drink we swallow, while the taste buds contribute to the experience of food flavour. The tongue also helps to create the sounds for speech. Some disorders that affect the tongue include sore tongue, black hairy tongue and tongue-tie.

A mouth ulcer is the loss of part of the delicate tissue lining inside the mouth (mucous membrane). The most common cause is injury such as biting your cheek. Other causes include certain drugs, chemicals and infectious diseases such as herpes or thrush. In most cases, mouth ulcers are harmless and clear up in a few days.

Mouth sores can be caused by infection,injury or oral cancer

Unintentional drooling of saliva (sialorrhea) is a distressing symptom suffered by up to 25% of patients with motor neuron disease. The management of sialorrhea currently involves the use of suction, drug treatments and more invasive approaches,

Mucositis can have a very severe impact on a patient's ability to eat and drink. Nutritional support is an essential component of cancer treatment and helps maintain body weight.

A cold sore, or herpes simplex, is a skin infection that is caused by a virus.

While meth can cause this kind of rampant tooth damage in just months, what about other illegal drugs? 

Sadly enough, methamphetamines aren’t the only drugs that can have a significant negative impact on teeth.

heroin addicts often have cavities along the gum line as well as periodontal disease, because the drug causes a decrease in the production of saliva. Saliva protects the mouth,  neutralizing acids that cause cavities and providing lubrication reducing the retention of food debris.

cocaine can erode the tooth enamel. This also results in the exposure of teeth to the bacteria that can cause decay. And in terms of how it is used, cocaine is often rubbed on gums, leading to a very acidic mixture when combined with saliva, and one that is extremely detrimental to teeth.

ECSTASY who use this drug are prone to tooth grinding, which wears down tooth enamel in much the same way as those who grind their teeth at night. However, those who grind their teeth at night often wear a protective mouth guard at night to prevent this kind of damage to tooth enamel, while those who use ecstasy or other drugs that lead to tooth grinding are unlikely to do so. Other effects of ecstasy usage include jaw clenching and a dry mouth, and as with cocaine use, a dry mouth reduces saliva and its protective effect in the mouth.

Clearly, the bottom line is that illegal drugs are not only harmful to so many aspects of one’s life, but they can also have serious impact on areas related to one’s health that are barely thought about – until it’s too late.

Oral Fixation seems to be shapping up as:

 A light hearted examination of all things that can go right with the mouth. 

The fun and playful tasks that fuel and impact us and our peers.

Smiles. Kisses. Eating. Laughing. Talking.

Take this into consideration when we choose to misuse the vital machine of our body.

It is a main port to the body.

And all that can disfunction.

On a happier note:

Listen to : Let it Be -By: BlackMill

Pay attention to your health and the activities you partake in.

Your welcome.

-S