The jeweller

What did the jeweller say to the dentist?

Though goldsmiths have occasionally been employed in the making of teeth, the realms of ornament and health have grown far enough apart today for any cooperation to seem quite bizarre.
Susan Cohn (Out of Line) focuses on the more visible work of dentists -- orthodontic braces -- and adds her touch as a jeweller with a sharp sense of irony. Cohn had dental bands specially fitted onto her teeth in order to work on the ornaments. These clip-on attachments have a variety of effects. `Out of Line' contains a metal extension that demonstrates the shifting teeth. `Diet line' has a `bumper bar' effect which counters the increased food intake as a result of improved bite. And so on. An orthodontist is currently exploring how these might go into production. This may indeed be the face of the future.

As this image of her dental record demonstrates, Lisa Pittar has undergone a lot of dental work in her life. It was the hours spent in the dental chair, knowing the tools and materials that were reconstructing her smile, that provided the `inspiration' for her response.

Lisa Pittar (Undesirable inheritance) has created a series of rings that reflect rather than supplement dental work: she presents the work as testament to the hours of painful labour entailed in constructing a perfect set of teeth. With the right tools (drills, files, pliers) and materials (gold, silver), jewellers are well equipped to engage with dental practice. And more than that, they can delve into areas most dentists are reluctant to enter: the symbolic value of teeth.