SM 202

Eating Clay

Images:

Transitional objects, series 1, 2005.

Bisque fired Abbots White.

I put some clay in crumpled cling wrap and put it in my mouth.  Like that dental putty – there was an automatic response of retching – fear of choking.  With the bulk inside my mouth I bit the end off with my teeth.  It was revolting – gritty on the teeth.  I tried doing it in front of a mirror to overcome the automatic response – in itself a funny idea, that you can overcome an automatic response by watching yourself.  It didn’t help.

I finally managed to bite it calmly by putting some cling wrap into my mouth (which did not cause panic) and biting off a lump of clay quite fast.  Not so hard at all. Not pleasant though.

That stage of infancy is very much about eating, digesting, expelling.  What if I were to eat the clay, and??  No, we won’t even go there.