B. Sven Telander
PHANTOM TEETH RESENT THE INTRUSION OF DENTURES
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: This futuristic blue background is covered in the blue, purple, and pink pathways of human neurons. A pair of teeth (with gums) or dentures appear in the low center of the image; they are behind the largest and pinkest of the nerve clusters. The teeth are held in what may be a case or a cyborg mouth.
LITTLE ONE DREADS GROWING BIG
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: On a purple background marked with static like an ultrasound image of the womb, we see an infant's face overlain by the larger face of a fish. The fish's face may initially be mistaken for human--until viewers see the fish's needle teeth. One of the fish's eyes is near the place where the child's mythical third eye would be.The bottom border of the frame shows what may be the human infant's shoulder or a mountain peak with snow.
Artist statement:
“Phantom Teeth Resent Intrusion of Dentures”
Over past fifteen years of losing teeth--root canals, crowns, partials, eventual acceptance of total toothlessness and dentures, adult mouth back to early infant teethfree state--would have odd sensation of phantom teeth, and fanciful notion they somehow begrudged invasion when dentures were put in place. Also, the recurring macabre vanity: “The toothless skull is less attractive than the toothful skull.” Pondering: “Who joins we self-critical ghosts, as the judges--other revenants or archeologists or graverobbers--in this hypothetical skull beauty contest?” Blur of these memories, inspired by finding dusty jar containing extracted teeth, prompted this simple collage, or “tinkering” or “blendie” or “painting with pictures” as we more often call conjurings made on laptop, saving the word collage for when paper, scissors, glue, and board make appearances. Extracted teeth remain waiting for future project, incorporated in mixed-media assemblage or sculpture. Due to several concussive childhood brain injuries and neurodivergence involving propensity to disassociation, am largely prone to a random discovery pathless in-the-moment path for creative ventures, bouncing between writing, photography, little videos, and art, where almost anything can be grist for the mill.
“Little One Dreads Growing Big”
Memory lane drifted, merging into eight-lane highway: being a young child in the 70’s; vague feeling of inner shift between primal innocence regulating/fusing into an almost dysmorphic malignance vis-à-vis well-remembered younger body slowly decaying into older one currently worn. Those sensations, combined with memories of fear and mistrust felt--one of ”the littles,” still voiceless, wide wary eyes upon “the big ones,” a nameless trepidation--not wanting to grow up into one of those vile things, who could shift between caring or cruelty, giving love or pain, acting friendly or frightening, never comprehending how or when these jarring changes would be inflicted. And now, housed within withering husk, voice whispered backwards through time to pure child: “It’s not that bad little one…it’s worse.” (Light-hearted wink & chuckle, not maudlin as words on screen might seem.) Those fragmented thoughts fluttering behind scenes while re-photographing, photo-manipulation, layering elements, experimenting with amping up an assortment of colors, before deciding stark simplicity of monochromatic felt best.