“Mouth Factory” is a work formed by a series of machine tools: a drill, a lathe, an extruder, a machine for rotomolding and one for thermoforming. These devices have a special feature: they are driven by movements of the mouth and the human masticatory apparatus. The “chewing drill” is a drill that works through the repeated movement of chewing. The “teeth lathe” is a very particular lathe: the rotation of this machine is triggered by the hands and then transferred to the lathe. It is positioned at mouth level through a series of mechanical linkages. Here a blade (held by the force of clenched teeth) sculpts the rotating cylinder. The “tongue extruder” is an extruder that works with the push of the tongue. The two tools for the rotomoulding and thermoforming are driven by blowing or sucking hard. This aesthetic choice by artist Guo Cheng is reminiscent of aseptic medical equipment. In fact some of these machines can easily be mistaken for dental braces, or other similarly imaginative inventions that can easily populate monstrous nightmares. Observing these machines in action can be disturbing: when watching the video that shows how they work, the instinctive feeling is to tighten the teeth or to cover mouths with hands, as we recognize the absolute abnormality of the proposals made by the artist in reappropriating the use of precious parts of the body usually dedicated to food. These metallic mandibular infrastructures connect our mouth with the outside but in a completely new way. And the artist executes this extension impeccably, revealing unnatural efficiency in a perfect performance style. In fact, all members of the “Mouth factory” are surprising because they seem to work flawlessly according to the video. At the end of the short movie it seems ordinary to build with a breakfast item aspirating in a tube that makes a heated plastic sheet turn concave. Masticatory apparatus seems to have a huge but underutilized potential at the moment, and the author of this work explores the possibilities to address this inexplicable underutilization. Some images of possible damage related to the repeated use of the equipment conclude the description. In this way, the artist of this bizarre factory shows us a complete story of his vision: it is up to us to decide to what extent we want to experience the power and possibilities of our multifaceted physicality, modifying ourselves to fit machines that can amplify our strength.
Chiara Ciociola

 

Mouth Factory-5 Sequences

 

“Mouth Factory”Mouth workout- Director: Cheng Guo, Cinematographer/Editor: Grey Chen(大陆用户请访问 优酷)