Lollipop Licking Machine

I never understood the phrase, "You can't have your cake and eat it too." It seemed to me that eating the cake was the ultimate form of possessing it. We put things in our mouth, or touch them with our mouth, as a way of claming possession. These thoughts were the origin of this piece, although a host of ideas concerning the eroticism of licking and the separation of the body and the self also snuck in. I am interested in the way that a body part, separated from the body and performing an absurd task can suggest so many things to different people. Children love this machine, yet many adults find it repulsive. Others find it very "naughty", though it contains nothing overtly sexual. I am never sure how someone is going to react to this machine, which makes it one of the most fun to exhibit.