Faculty of Art

Sculpture/Installation

Susan MacPhail

13 Pearly White

This sculpture reimagines a human molar as a precious pearl inside a giant oyster shell, using a playful sense of luxury to celebrate the incredible strength and 300,000 year history of our human teeth.

“"For over forty years, Susan MacPhail worked as a dental hygienist, a devoted caretaker of thousands of vulnerable human teeth. This sculpture continues her lifelong practice of preservation and care, transforming a molar tooth from a clinical object into a symbol of treasured beauty.Floating on a fishing net and nestled within a glittering oversized oyster shell, a large molar tooth takes the place of the pearl, an affectionate parody of luxury and desire. In this inversion, the artist invites you to reconsider your teeth as treasures of inestimable value. Your first permanent lower molars germinated at sixteen weeks in utero. If you prevent sugar and periodontal damage to your teeth, they could last another 300,000 years, like those teeth found by anthropologists in Jebel Irhoud Morocco in 2017.My sculpture “Pearly White” celebrates the beauty and the potential longevity of your cherished Homo sapiens dentition.”