By the end of October, artist Gina Czarnecki is hoping to have collected enough baby teeth from children to cover a four foot fairy-tale palace, which is to be displayed as part of the Manchester Science Festival. Although it is mainly for artistic purposes, there is some depth to the exhibition, with organisers hoping to highlight what happens to waste body parts when they are removed or fall out.
Festival organisers said that the sculpture ‘aims to explore the issue of waste body parts, such as fat from liposuction or bones from joint replacements, and how these could be used for stem cell regeneration.’ They went on to describe what the finished product will look like, saying ‘As more people donate their teeth, the Palace will grow over time like a coral reef, to form a stalagmite-like structure of crystal resin, encrusted in barnacle formations using baby teeth donated by children in the UK and around the world.’
Artist Czarnecki explained that she didn’t want to lose the magic associated with tooth loss, so she suggested that the children leave something else for the tooth fairy, such as a letter or token gift, ‘which means they can still receive money but the tooth is left behind to donate to the palace.’ She also encourages children to look at stories and drawings from other cultures to find out more about what happens to milk teeth in different countries.