Dettmers booksculptures profound in meaning and impact. His remarkable book sculptures are meticulously carved into vintage volumes using a variety. Altered, sculpted, carved, transformed a compendium of extraordinary artworks from the around the world. I first discovered dettmer on an art blog about a year ago, and i fell in love with his creations right away. It looks like theres an issue with javascript in your browser. He first determines the presentation, engineering and construction of his altered book or books.
Dettmers work has been exhibited internationally in numerous solo and group exhibitions at galleries, museums and art centers including the smothsonaian d. Brian dettmer is a new yorkbased artist known for his detailed and innovative sculptures with books and other forms of antiquated media. Old books, cassette tapes, records and maps are the artist s medium. Dettmers work is a a collaboration with the existing material and its past creators and the completed pieces expose new relationships of the books internal elements. The art of book sculpture surgical typography, a beautiful ghost, and why the reading of art is the new art of reading. Any time that we share old book crafts, we get at least a couple of. This book was written by a noted expert on ancient civilizations and the sections on ancient sculpture are very informative. In his atlanta studio, dettmer transforms medical texts, art history tomes, military manuals, and more. He makes detailed, surreal sculptures by performing book autopsies. Check out our resources for adapting to these times. That moment, when you pick up an old book from a shelf and wipe away thick layer of dust from its cover, is full of magic. Intricate book art carvings by brian dettmer twistedsifter.
Book surgeon uses surgical tools to make incredible book. Inappropriate the list including its title or description facilitates illegal activity, or contains hate speech or ad hominem attacks on a fellow goodreads member or author. Brian dettmer a decade of book sculpture canalehastavideo. Book sculptures by brian dettmer becky stern making and sharing are her two biggest passions, and shes created hundreds of free online diy tutorials and videos, mostly about technology and its intersection with crafts.
Brian dettmer cuts up old books to produce beautiful works of art. Post the most beautiful examples of book sculptures. Spam or selfpromotional the list is spam or selfpromotional. Then, with the precision of a surgeon, using scalpels and hundreds of xacto blades, he alters. Jul 29, 2019 outside assignmentdeconstructed book you may use multiples. As intangible routes thrive with quicker fluidity, material and history are being lost, slipping and eroding into the ether.
Please wash your hands and practise social distancing. Brian is a new york based artist, born in 1974 in naperville, illinois, and for the past decade or so, he has amazed the world with his beautiful sculptural books. Brian dettmer is an artist that focuses on books, mainly out of date encyclopedias, medical logs, illustration books or dictionaries. The pieces concern the changing role of physical objects in the information age. Old and heavy books always seem like a mysterious and infinite well of wisdom and imagination for me. Ereaders have relegated many oldfashioned books to shelves to collect dust, but thankfully there are a number of artists out there who still see the beauty of bound. 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. 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. 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. Brian dettmer is a surgical sculptor with a penchant for the esoteric, obscure and nearobsolete.
Continuing that theme, heres a ted talk from artist brian dettmer, who painstakingly carves old books into amazing sculptures. Karl duldig sculpture vienna singapore melbourne by ruskin, pamela and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The 36yearold atlanta based artist has carved dozens of intricate sculptures from volumes dumped in charity. Brian dettmer creates detailed sculptures out of books. She works with old, abandoned books which have served for many years in their conventional form as a vehicle for narrative ideas. The company was renowned as a publisher of important art books, notably the documents of modern art, and as the preeminent art book store in america. Artist brian dettmer approaches books with knives, tweezers, and bladesharp ideas about the meanings of media and information. Curated by michelle tillou at the springbreak art show ny this years theme is in excess. Not only does he work with objects that i hold close to my heart cool old books. Altered, sculpted, carved, transformed heyenga, laura, dettmer, brian, kuhn, alyson on. Atlantabased artist brian dettmer creates marvelous sculptures by performing surgery on books.
Dettmers book art calls attention to the fact that we dont need to. Atlantabased artist brian dettmer, however, chisels his art from books. Artist brian dettmer is using old books to create beautiful art. Name brian dettmer born chicago, illinois born chicago, il 1974 active in. Explore amazing book carvings, 3d book installations, and book towers created by brian dettmer. Altered books by brian dettmer art decoration design. But he shows he knows a lot about modern sculpture too because there is also plenty of stuff on the renaisance and modern scuptors and their works, including abstract art and large scale sculptures like the statue if liberty and vietnam war. It all begins with a regular book, which is turned into a book sculpture by curling and folding each page until this object gradually morphs into a. 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.
Newer media swiftly flips forms, unrestricted by the weight of material and the responsibility of history. Carving old books into works of art studio 360 wnyc. In fact, the real joy of this book comes from discovering how each individual starts with the same item and yet ends up with vastly different works of art. Wittenborn art books abebooks san francisco, ca, u. You can call brian dettmer a marvelous sculptor, a one of a kind artist, a genius of the highest level, but i think book worm fits him best. Literature itself is certainly art, but who knew books could become such beautiful and fascinating visual art as well. Artist brian dettmer challenges media that has been cast aside. If youre a fan of book art, you probably know the works of brian dettmer. 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. Brian dettmers book sculptures brian dettmers book. Banoo batliboi is a selftaught paper artist who is impassioned about creating book art. His work has been exhibited internationally in galleries, museums, and art centers and has gained international acclaim through internet bloggers and traditional media.
Fascinating is that he usually begins the carving on arbitrary pages in the volume allowing unexplored pages to reveal themselves as he. Boing boing points us to the impressive book art of brian dettmer. New yorkbased artist brian dettmer carves intricate sculptures from outdated materials like encyclopedias, textbooks, maps and cassette tapes. He has a show opening april 3 at chicagos packer schopf gallery. Check out his ted talk about what he does and why he does it crafting with old books is controversial in the upcycling world. Brian dettmer born 1974 is an american contemporary artist. See more ideas about book sculpture, brian dettmer and book art. The abstract books photographs aim to explore the many degrees of interpretation an object can undergo and still carry the essence of its identity. Since the rise of the ereader, books have been on the decline. Last weeks video was a meditation on letterpress printing and the book as a physical object. In 1996, wittenborn merged with alan wofsy fine arts of san francisco. Brian dettmer exposes and celebrates the graphics contained in books. Wittenborn art books was founded in 1941 by george wittenborn in new york city.
Brian dettmer turns old reference books into works of art. Michael dettmers is a successful entrepreneur with 35 years of. But for brian dettmer slicing through the cover is an extraordinary act of creation. Book art by brian dettmer artists statement the age of information in physical form is waning.
His name is brian dettmer, and he creates wickedly awesome sculptures out of old books. Artist brian dettmer repurposes old books and media, using an exacto knife to create gorgeous narrative sculptures. Delicate requirements, 2009, altered books destiny far quick fall remaining, 2009, altered ebook home of tongues, 2010, altered guide science within the twentieth century, 2009, altered guide compiled upon a new plan, 2010. 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. For over ten years, he has carved and reshaped old, used books, revealing new connections by slicing away segments of pages. Sculptural book art by brian dettmer book art, art. Using books as your medium reconstruct a new art form. Old books carved into intricate narrative sculptures by. Based in new york, he is one of the most influential artists working with books and paper. Brian dettmer currently resides in atlanta, georgia. Michael dettmers is an author, speaker, and professional organization and design consultant. With xacto knives and an eye for a good remix, artist brian dettmer makes beautiful, unexpected sculptures that breathe new.
Craft futures features forty artists born since 1972, the year the smithsonian american art museums contemporary craft and decorative arts program was established at its branch museum, the renwick gallery. Fascinating book and paper art by brian dettmer pictures. Discover interesting facts about brian dettmer on artnet. Like most of us, artist brian dettmer doesnt have much practical use for oldschool dictionaries, encyclopedias and atlases. Brian dettmer carves intricate sculptures out of old reference books. Brian dettmer carefully selects and sifts through stacks of old books to uncover the perfect source and subject for his cultural archaeological explorations and sculptural possibilities. What do you do with an outdated encyclopedia in the information age.
Then, with the precision of a surgeon, using scalpels and hundreds of xacto blades, he alters the preexisting. Incorrect book the list contains an incorrect book please specify the title of the book. 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. Now, by shifting focus to the tactile and visual qualities of the book, she imagines an alternative interpretation. Altered, sculpted, carved, transformed by laura heyenga, brian dettmer and alyson kuhn by helen gallagher.
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