Do Not Want To Die For My Art
November 23, 2011 3:08 PM Subscribe
How to simulate chewing without using my mouth or teeth? Either an object or method/process. Odd, photography-related details inside.
I'm working on a photography project in which I intentionally scratch, tear, burn, and stain black-and-white negatives, and then print the results. I found some ideas like these on a message board where someone suggested chewing the negatives, and this struck me as such an incredibly cool concept. But I'm wary of putting the actual negative in my mouth due to all the chemicals used to develop it.
So, what's a way to simulate the randomness of chewing? Flat molars biting at the same time as pointed incisors, rough edges of teeth, all of which could create interesting patterns.
I'm truly not interested in Photoshop; the physical process of destruction is what interests me.
I'm working on a photography project in which I intentionally scratch, tear, burn, and stain black-and-white negatives, and then print the results. I found some ideas like these on a message board where someone suggested chewing the negatives, and this struck me as such an incredibly cool concept. But I'm wary of putting the actual negative in my mouth due to all the chemicals used to develop it.
So, what's a way to simulate the randomness of chewing? Flat molars biting at the same time as pointed incisors, rough edges of teeth, all of which could create interesting patterns.
I'm truly not interested in Photoshop; the physical process of destruction is what interests me.
Put it in a little zip-lock bag and chew on it a bit without biting through the bag?
posted by slightlybewildered at 3:18 PM on November 23, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by slightlybewildered at 3:18 PM on November 23, 2011 [3 favorites]
Rocks grinding together?
posted by TooFewShoes at 3:50 PM on November 23, 2011
posted by TooFewShoes at 3:50 PM on November 23, 2011
If you want a scratching and poking, could you put them in an envelope with some small sharp rocks and salvaged forks or small bits of metal, then put that inside a backpack full of books. Go hiking (for a quick return) or use that bag daily for a few weeks.
This, modified from using tuning forks and reflex hammers, resulted in near destruction of anything in my backpack this term, and everything looks chewed on.
posted by cobaltnine at 3:57 PM on November 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
This, modified from using tuning forks and reflex hammers, resulted in near destruction of anything in my backpack this term, and everything looks chewed on.
posted by cobaltnine at 3:57 PM on November 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Don't swallow. Rinse and spit. You won't die.
posted by flabdablet at 4:16 PM on November 23, 2011
posted by flabdablet at 4:16 PM on November 23, 2011
Well, I don't think you'll die. If you've developed your film properly, all of the development chemicals will be gone*, except perhaps any surfactant (wetting agent - a common one when I developed was Kodak's Photoflo). Wikipedia suggests that surfactants can be toxic, so you can either not use them, or if you've already developed the film, re-rinse it to remove them. You may get some water spots, but who cares?
So you only need to worry about the film base (which I don't think you'll damage enough to ingest any - and it's an inert plastic besides) and the emulsion and residual silver.
I believe (someone can correct me if I'm wrong) that what's left on the film base of a developed negative is elemental silver. Silver is non-toxic, but eating too much could cause problems. The US EPA's safe reference dose for silver appears to be (e.g. is cited as in that Wikipedia article) about .25 mg per day for a 50kg person. I doubt you'd get more than that from chewing, rinsing, and spitting a 6x6 negative, so theoretically you could do this every day for the rest of your life without turning gray.
Since you're probably only going to do it for a few weeks, I think you're safe. But grab one of your freshman photography textbooks and confirm that that's elemental silver first. Some of the salts are pretty nasty.
*If you leave fixer in your film, it will ruin it over time. That's why we wash so well.
posted by pinespree at 5:46 PM on November 23, 2011
So you only need to worry about the film base (which I don't think you'll damage enough to ingest any - and it's an inert plastic besides) and the emulsion and residual silver.
I believe (someone can correct me if I'm wrong) that what's left on the film base of a developed negative is elemental silver. Silver is non-toxic, but eating too much could cause problems. The US EPA's safe reference dose for silver appears to be (e.g. is cited as in that Wikipedia article) about .25 mg per day for a 50kg person. I doubt you'd get more than that from chewing, rinsing, and spitting a 6x6 negative, so theoretically you could do this every day for the rest of your life without turning gray.
Since you're probably only going to do it for a few weeks, I think you're safe. But grab one of your freshman photography textbooks and confirm that that's elemental silver first. Some of the salts are pretty nasty.
*If you leave fixer in your film, it will ruin it over time. That's why we wash so well.
posted by pinespree at 5:46 PM on November 23, 2011
Slip them in a negative sleeve and chew on them.
posted by effluvia at 6:08 PM on November 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by effluvia at 6:08 PM on November 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Whatever trace amounts of chemicals from processing the film are going to be in such minute quantities I very much doubt you'll get sick from chewing on some celluloid a few times.
Just remember to spit after you chew and you'll be fine.
posted by squeak at 8:54 PM on November 23, 2011
Just remember to spit after you chew and you'll be fine.
posted by squeak at 8:54 PM on November 23, 2011
Scratch Perry, one of the inventors of dub, apparently used to bury bits of magnetic audio tape in the ground and dig them up a while later in order to get interesting unpredictable bits of distortion or sound degradation.
It won't give you toothmarks specifically, but it still seems worth trying with negatives.
posted by nebulawindphone at 4:41 AM on November 24, 2011
It won't give you toothmarks specifically, but it still seems worth trying with negatives.
posted by nebulawindphone at 4:41 AM on November 24, 2011
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posted by decathecting at 3:13 PM on November 23, 2011 [1 favorite]