ABS Blog

‘Dentalogical Art’ Hidden in Basement of Australian Pyramid

Posted on by Adam Thomas

Down a long and lonesome highway, East of Adelaide, listen to his friends moaning hung over from yesterday…

I recently learned of an abandoned pyramid in rural Australia. In which, you can find a basement full of sculptures made from real teeth. The property, along with the pyramid, was purchased by Norma Cosson and her late husband, Dr. David Lye, in the late 1980s.

The property was originally built some years earlier as the town’s information centre. After the couple purchased it, they turned it into somewhat of a tourist attraction and named it, “Casper’s World in Miniature.” According to ABC News of Australia, David and Norma added attractions, writing:

“Over the years they added exhibits, a restaurant, and eventually the [jewelry] and sculptures Dr Lye produced.

Nephew of famed New Zealand born artist and filmmaker Len Lye, Ms Cosson says her husband’s family were lovable oddballs and David was no different.”

DR LYE’S UNIQUE HOBBY

As Dr. Lye’s dental career was nearing its end, he began to realize how much material he had left over. Being the unique character that he was, he enjoyed building sculptures out of the discarded teeth and dentures from his practice. For years, he cleaned most of the teeth he pulled from people who didn’t want to keep them and kept them in a box. He began to utilize these materials for quirky 3D artwork.

After his young grandson was diagnosed with leukaemia, he would send all of his lost teeth to Dr. Lye to build a ‘tooth fairy castle.’ The doting grandfather was determined to turn the worrying situation into something fun for his grandchildren.

STUMBLING ACROSS THE INTRIGUING ART

Dr. Lye’s artwork has sparked the interest of some unsuspecting people online for years. One Twitter user, Rebecca Le Get, PhD, posted about a “confusing postcard” that she found.

Confusing postcard found in the op-shop today. “Casper’s World of Miniature” in #Stawell. Apparently it was full of teeth sculptures? pic.twitter.com/lnNn0BwtCJ

Another Twitter user, David Waldron, posted about seeing “the weirdest thing,” referencing the abandoned “theme park.”

Ok I have just seen the weirdest thing. A world in miniature theme park, now abandoned, built by a dentist to display his hobby of sculptures made from human teeth. These are kept in the basement of an enormous pyramid outside Stawell. pic.twitter.com/hnX7Cv7ptC

Perhaps my favorite story about Casper’s World in Miniature was written by a blogger named Brad McNaughton.

In 2018, he described his pit stop at the run-down tourist attraction. He, his brother and his friend decided to check out the park on a road trip back to Adelaide from Melbourne, Australia.

Brad does a very good job documenting his experience and you can read all about it here.

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