Artist Gina Czarnecki has created a huge translucent ‘fairy palace’ from clear crystal-resin. The art-science piece will grow over time to resemble a coral reef or stalagmite-like structure as thousands of milk teeth, donated by children across the continent, are added. Milk teeth are the first set of teeth that are lost naturally, usually around the age of seven.
Alongside ‘palaces’, Centre of the Cell will run a special summer programme from 13 to 31 August of pod shows and a brand new workshop called the secret world of teeth. The family workshop explores why we have so many different teeth, why they sometimes fall out and why scientists are so interested in milk teeth.
Centre of the Cell – part of the Blizard building at QM’s Whitechapel campus – will unveil ‘palaces’ at a launch event on August 23 featuring a talk by Czarnecki. The structure, which was previously held at London’s Science Museum, will be on display at the site throughout the summer. As it takes shape, ‘palaces’ will be exhibited at other leading arts and science venues in the UK, before moving on to Europe.
Gina Czarnecki has created ‘palaces’ in collaboration with professor Sara Rankin of Imperial College London. She explains the science behind the art: “Teeth are one of the parts of the body we lose naturally, but their loss is a sign of growth and development rather than decay. Different cultures have different traditions about where these teeth go, and what they are used for. Palaces highlights the regenerative potential of adult stem cells and aims to question whether we should we recycle ourselves. If so, how can milk teeth be used as a source of stem cells that can help the body to regenerate?”
Elizabeth Roche, learning and outreach manager at Centre of the Cell adds: “Gina has put out a call for our young visitors to donate a single milk tooth to the project. Just make sure you still leave a note for the tooth fairy under the pillow, in case they wonder why teeth are disappearing all over London!”