Artist brian dettmer challenges media that has been cast aside. Sculptor brian dettmer who can turn a book into an. A conversation with brian dettmer by helena celdran brian dettmer. Aug 26, 2011 we found one ohiobased company that claims to destroy 90 tons of unwanted books every day. With x acto knives and an eye for a good remix, artist brian dettmer. To create new art, brian dettmer trashes old books. Brian dettmer creates sculpture by surgically removing bits of pages from books. He is noted for his alteration of preexisting mediasuch as old books, maps, record albums, and cassette tapesto create new. Newer media swiftly flips forms, unrestricted by the weight of material and the responsibility of history. Mark strassmann reports on dettmers vision for a vanishing form of art. But for brian dettmer slicing through the cover is an extraordinary act of creation. But, unless we rethink the way we treat old books, it falls on such recycling initiatives to help stop useful paper waste filling up landfills. To create new art, sculptor brian dettmer cuts up old books.
From beautiful and detailed landscapes carved into the edges of books to a. Doug beube, longbin chen, brian dettmer, guy laramee, and francesca pastine transform various types of literature andor printed books through sculptural intervention. You will find carved wood sculptures, but not trees, turned into books, back into carved sculptures. With xacto knives and an eye for a good remix, artist brian dettmer makes beautiful, unexpected sculptures that breathe new life into old books. Dettmer uses knives, tweezers, surgical instruments and. Artist brian dettmer approaches books with knives, tweezers, and bladesharp ideas about the meanings of media and information. My next step is to set the form and seal the pages so that the book is a sold material that can only be opened or revealed with a knife through the face. New yorkbased artist brian dettmer carves intricate sculptures from outdated materials like encyclopedias, textbooks, maps and cassette tapes.
Part artist and part surgeon, dettmer uses knives, blades, tweezers, pliers, and custommixed adhesive to painstakingly carve threedimensional sculptures. Mark strassmann reports on dettmer s vision for a vanishing form of art. Intricate book art carvings by brian dettmer artofit. Dettmer has carved up and layered the volumes of a vintage. He is noted for his alteration of preexisting mediasuch as old books, maps.
May 31, 2011 but for brian dettmer slicing through the cover is an extraordinary act of creation. Brian dettmer is a surgical sculptor with a penchant for the esoteric, obscure and nearobsolete. Bought from trash collectors or collected directly from the streets, the books and magazines are first carved with a band or chain saw and then with a. Artist brian dettmer carves old books into intricate. Old books dissected to create intricate 3d carvings. Invaluable is the worlds largest marketplace for art, antiques, and collectibles.
Atlanta artist brian dettmer creates memorable works of art by slicing, whittling and tearing into books. From beautiful and detailed landscapes carved into the edges of books to a spiraling tower of babel built 80 feet high. Artwork by brian dettmer born in chicago but currently living and working out of atlanta, georgia, contemporary artist brian dettmer creates incredible works of art with old books and tremendous patience. That, of course, would be a lot of books to carve into beautiful artistic creations.
Dettmer s work has a sort of vintage touch to it because he uses old books maps, encyclopedias, textbooks, manuals, and any other sort of literature that he can turn into an interesting piece of art. Brian dettmer artists around the world have lately been turning to their bookshelves for more than just a good read, opting to cut, paint, carve, stitch or otherwise transform the printed page into whole new. Brian dettmer is an american artist who takes old books and turns them into beautiful works of art by cutting away selected parts to reveal layered images and using antique books, brian dettmer reconstructs the pages of books in a way that is hard to describe in text, ironically. The artists use recycled or discarded booksthat otherwise would end up in landfills. With xacto knives and an eye for a good remix, artist brian dettmer. The spirit of magical realism is alive as characters are literally lifted out of books through delicate carving. When you come to think about the core idea its clever one. The university of mississippi museum brian dettmer. Using knives, tweezers and surgical tools, brian dettmer carves one page at a time. Dec 19, 2010 new worlds to conquer, brian dettmers solo show at saltworks, is as multilayered conceptually as the carved books of which it is composed are materially.
Feb, 2015 to create new art, brian dettmer trashes old books. Naperville native brian dettmer, the book surgeon, will exhibit his sculptures carved from books through april 28 at aurora university. Using knives, tweezers and surgical tools, brian meticulously exposes various layers to cre. Book art by brian dettmer artists statement the age of information in physical form is waning. Brian dettmer creates detailed sculptures out of books.
Buy online, view images and see past prices for brian dettmer, contemporary carved book sculpture. There are the pretty and surprisingly political sculptures from wallpaper sample books. I always begin with a book that i know will work for the ideas i have. Artist uses surgical tools to carve books into stunning works of. Intricate book art carvings by brian dettmer artwork by brian dettmer born in chicago but currently living and working out of atlanta, georgia, contemporary artist brian dettmer creates incredible works of art with old books and tremendous patience. He describes these pieces as a collaboration with the existing material and its past creators in the sense that the final pieces lend new meaning to the books internal elements. Dettmers work has a sort of vintage touch to it because he uses old books maps, encyclopedias, textbooks, manuals, and any other sort of literature that he can turn into an interesting piece of art.
Brian dettmer, based in atlanta, sculpts books into works of art as well. Brian dettmer, also known as the book surgeon uses surgical tools to carve each page at a time creating a full proper carved artwork. Hes also constructed sculptures from melted cassette tapes. Old books, cassette tapes, records and maps are the artists medium. For over ten years, he has carved and reshaped old, used books, revealing new connections by slicing away segments of pages.
His remarkable book sculptures are meticulously carved into vintage volumes using a variety of tools xacto knives, surgical clamps, pliers, tweezers and are painstakingly cut away one page at a time. His moundstyle pieces are so rounded and polished that reference books appear to be carved wood. Some are carved, this is a gorgeous book to explore. Book surgeon uses surgical tools to make incredible book. Brian dettmer turns books into sculptural pieces sfgate. Old books reborn as art takes outdated reference materials such as textbooks and encyclopedias, seals them with varnish, then carves away at their pages with an xacto knife. So the best way to approach it is by a short tour of the surface, followed by the depths.
Jan 30, 2019 artwork by brian dettmer born in chicago but currently living and working out of atlanta, georgia, contemporary artist brian dettmer creates incredible works of art with old books and tremendous patience. May 15, 2011 atlanta artist brian dettmer creates memorable works of art by slicing, whittling and tearing into books. Nov 20, 2012 brian dettmer creates detailed sculptures out of books. As intangible routes thrive with quicker fluidity, material and history are being lost, slipping and eroding into the ether. Intercepted by gravitation more carved books by brian dettmer. Oct 31, 2008 brian dettmer has done other kinds of work, too. Curated by michelle tillou at the springbreak art show ny. The pieces concern the changing role of physical objects in the information age. Despite the individual and exclusive perspective of each artist, there are remarkable connections in the themes and ideas they respectively mourn and celebrate. New worlds to conquer, brian dettmers solo show at saltworks, is as multilayered conceptually as the carved books of which it is composed are materially.
Mar 05, 2012 carved books by brian dettmer dettmer is originally from chicago. Brian dettmer born 1974 is an american contemporary artist. Found, scavenged and upcycled by tristan manco this book explores artmaking using unusual materials, such as paper, wood, straw, and bottles. Old books carved into intricate narrative sculptures by brian. Brian dettmer, a new yorkbased artist known as the book surgeon, uses tweezers, knives, scalpels and other surgical tools to dissect and carve old books into intricate and beautiful sculptures. Using surgical tools such as knives and tweezers, dettmer carves each volume into a sculpture that is both visually arresting and substantively. But no one whose work i have seen tops that of atlanta artist brian dettmer at. Books take on a whole new life in laura heyengas anthology of groundbreaking artists whove stitched, sliced, cut and carved bound literature to create anything from an intricate chess set to a huge area rug to a literary jewelry collection. Mar 01, 2017 naperville native brian dettmer, the book surgeon, will exhibit his sculptures carved from books through april 28 at aurora university.
He is noted for his alteration of preexisting mediasuch as old books, maps, record albums, and cassette tapesto create new, transformed works of visual fine art. Mar 26, 2012 artist brian dettmer approaches books with knives, tweezers, and bladesharp ideas about the meanings of media and information. Brian dettmer is known for his detailed and innovative sculptures with books and other forms of antiquated media. Brian dettmer narrative book sculptures inhabitat green. Artist makes highpriced sculptures from old books youtube. Whereas laramee reshapes them into landscapes, dettmer manipulates the words and images on the pages to make them part of the work.
We found one ohiobased company that claims to destroy 90 tons of unwanted books every day. New yorkbased artist brian dettmer creates impressively intricate multilayered sculptures from books. His work has been exhibited internationally in galleries, museums, and art centers and has gained international acclaim through internet bloggers and traditional media. The artist calls himself the book surgeon because he. Brian dettmer book sculptures the brooklyn refinery diy. See more ideas about book sculpture, book art and art. Book art that will melt your brain brian dettmer aka the book surgeon. Originally from chicago and now living and working in atlanta, brian dettmer is known for his detailed and innovative sculptures with books and other forms of antiquated media. Nov 07, 2011 intricate book art carvings by brian dettmer artwork by brian dettmer born in chicago but currently living and working out of atlanta, georgia, contemporary artist brian dettmer creates incredible works of art with old books and tremendous patience.
Feb 06, 2015 what do you do with an outdated encyclopedia in the information age. With xacto knives and an eye for a good remix, artist brian dettmer makes beautiful, unexpected sculptures that. Originally from chicago and now living and working in atlanta, brian dettmer, aka the book surgeon, is known for his detailed and innovative sculptures with books and other forms of antiquated media and this wonderful series is his latest in dadainspired carved works. Dettmers work has a sort of vintage touch to it because he uses old books maps, encyclopedias, textbooks, manuals, and any other sort of literature that he can turn into an interesting. Art made from books brims with charming, pure art, created by hands and tools. Sep 12, 2009 brian dettmer turns books into sculptural pieces. The book as an art form artists books libguides at the. The 36yearold atlanta based artist has carved dozens of intricate sculptures from volumes dumped in charity. Altered, sculpted, carved, transformed kindle edition by kuhn, alyson, dettmer, brian, heyenga, laura, dettmer, brian. To create his works dettmer seals the object with varnish, then swiftly and deftly moves through it with an xacto knife until he comes out the other side, cutting away material to form something new. See more ideas about brian dettmer, book sculpture and book art.
Altered, sculpted, carved, transformed heyenga, laura, dettmer, brian, kuhn, alyson on. Intricate book art carvings by brian dettmer twistedsifter. Brian dettmer digs deep in altered books at saltworks. Brian dettmer, a new yorkbased artist known as the book surgeon, uses tweezers, knives, scalpels and other surgical tools to dissect and carve old books into. Carved books by brian dettmer dettmer is originally from chicago. Brian dettmer is an artist that focuses on books, mainly out of date encyclopedias, medical logs, illustration books or dictionaries. Nothing inside the outofdate encyclopedias, medical.
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