Gossip’s Manual 

Gossip’s Manual is an interactive installation comprised of sixty chattering teeth made of porcelain. In a dark room, groups of 2-5 sets of teeth sit on wall mounted “cells” that are lit from below. All of the teeth are chattering at once. The clamor stops whenever a viewer approaches one of the cells. In its place, one hears a recorded recitation one of 29 satirical maxims for a shrewd gossip. The action repeats as the viewer approaches a new cell. The original “Gossip’s Manual” was an addendum to a textbook for girls entitled, “Garrett’s Lectures on Female Education” (1825).