Mouthfeel

Nov 1 — Dec 15, 2018
Field:

Exhibition

Description:

Mouthfeel was an exhibition presented by Big Rock Candy Mountain that centred on the mouth as a means of aesthetic perception and production. The opening took place on Halloween night, alongside the launch of QA CHEW’s BUBBLE TROUBLE—a limited run of chewing gum developed with grade six and seven students from Queen Alexandra Elementary School in Vancouver, Canada. 

A long purple table against the north wall of the gallery housed various sticky, pliable, and oral forms representing the research and inspiration that went into the production process for BUBBLE TROUBLE. These objects included two prints from Diane Borsato’s series Artifacts in my Mouth (2003), a brass scale model by Dina Danish of one of the oldest discovered pieces of chewing gum, mineral salt blocks carved by livestock in Eastern Oregon, and chewed gum samples by the students, including their own gum prototypes. BUBBLE TROUBLE was available for purchase for $2.99, with proceeds donated to Queen Alexandra Elementary School’s art program. 

Exhibition programming included a presentation by flavour historian Nadia Berenstein titled Welcome to Flavour Country.

BUBBLE TROUBLE was a commission of the City of Vancouver Public Art Program, as part of Big Rock Candy Mountain, a multi-phased project initiated by Hannah Jickling and Reed H. Reed and produced by Other Sights for Artist’s Projects through the support of the British Columbia Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Documents:

From the dark wooden entrance doorway into the brightly lit, white gallery, a half-oval-shaped, electric purple table, standing on translucent planks, gleams. On the table sit multiple organic-shaped blocks, ranging in colour from white to dark brown.
In the centre of the white gallery stands an electric purple, half-oval-shaped table, laid on translucent planks. On the table sit seven organic-shaped sculptures, nearest to the edge stands a white block with circular indentations, and two translucent boxes in which lay chewed chewing gum.
Seen at a high angle, in the centre of the brightly lit, white gallery, stands a half-oval, electric purple table, standing on translucent planks. On the table sit seven organic-shaped sculptures and two translucent boxes, in which lay pieces of chewed chewing gum.
Seen from the left of the brightly lit, white gallery, in the centre stands a half-oval, electric purple table, laid on translucent planks. On the table sit seven organic-shaped sculptures, ranging in brown, green and white, and two translucent boxes in which lies chewed-up chewing gum.
Seen in a medium shot, in the brightly lit, white gallery stands a half-oval-shaped table, laid on translucent planks. On the table sit multiple organic-shaped sculptures, in cream, dark green and white, and a translucent box sits on the right edge. Nearest to the camera sits a white block with circular indentations.
Against a white wall, in the centre of the brightly lit gallery, stands a half-oval-shaped, electric purple table, laid on translucent planks. Closest to the wall lay two light brown, rectangular displays, and near the camera sit three organic-shaped sculptures, from the left a dark brown, two-holed block, in the centre a light brown, jagged sculpture and on the right a pale white, heavily indented cube.
On an electric purple table, in the centre, sits a translucent display case, in which lies a centimetre-long salt block, and below it a title card. Surrounding the display case, towards the other side of the table, sit two brown sculptures. On the right, a dark brown organic-shaped sculpture with a hole in its top area, and to the left, a light brown sculpture with indentations and jagged spikes protruding.
Placed on top of an electric purple table, pieces of used chewing gum are displayed in their own individual translucent boxes. The chewing gum ranges in colors, from bright red, coral, pale pink, white, and turquoise, to a majority of warm browns and cream.
Placed on an electric purple table, a deep brown, organic-shaped sculpture reflects the gallery’s bright light at its sharp curves. On its top half is a hole, peering to the white back wall
In the brightly lit, white gallery, placed at the edge of an oval-shaped, electric purple table, sits a pale white, organic-shaped sculpture. The sculpture resembles a cube with circular indentations across the sides and top.
Stacks of Bubble Trouble chewing gum encased in rectangular packaging sit on a half-oval, electric purple, floating shelf, against a wall. The wall has horizontal dark lines across and its color replicates the pale pink color of the chewing gum’s packaging.

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Western Front is a non-profit artist-run centre in Vancouver.

We acknowledge the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations as traditional owners of the land upon which Western Front stands.

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