Fascinating book and paper art by brian dettmer pictures. Such an interesting way to transform a familiar material 4 posts published by jkimjimin during april 2010 april 2010 reality check, jk. Brian dettmer is a new yorkbased artist born in 1974 in naperville, illinois known for his detailed and innovative sculptures with books and other forms of antiquated media. Carving old books into works of art studio 360 wnyc.
Until 2006, dettmer lived in and around chicago, where he earned a ba in fine arts. Brian dettmer turns books into sculptural pieces sfgate. Altered, sculpted, carved, transformed a compendium of extraordinary artworks from the around the world. For a better experience, we recommend that you enable javascript. Artist carves books into intricate sculptures book.
Evans, mito, destroy your books, march 3, 2011 reproductions. Atlantabased artist brian dettmer, however, chisels his art from books. As we continue to trek toward an era solely dependent on digital content if we already havent, we begin to lose sight of where its emotional original source came from. Knownfor sculpture, altered book, found object brian dettmer born 1974 is an american contemporary artist. Artist brian dettmer digs into a good book literally, with a knife to create beautifully intricate forms that reflect how we see old information in a modern world. New yorkbased artist brian dettmer carves intricate sculptures from outdated materials like encyclopedias, textbooks, maps and cassette tapes. I cut into the surface of the book and dissect through it from the front. Artist brian dettmer in an exclusive interview with blaze reporter zaheer cassim, answered questions posed by blaze viewers. Brian dettmer employs books in a variety of creative ways in order to express a vision that goes beyond mere words alone. Brian dettmer book sculpture, brian dettmer, book art. A work of surgery and, also, archeology, that releases messages and meanings hidden behind the pages of a book. Altered, sculpted, carved, transformed heyenga, laura, dettmer, brian, kuhn, alyson on. With xacto knives and an eye for a good remix, artist brian dettmer makes beautiful, unexpected sculptures that breathe new life into old books. What georgiabased artist brian dettmer does to books would make any bibliophile or librarian cringe.
In his atlanta studio, dettmer transforms medical texts, art history tomes, military manuals, and more. Sep 06, 2015 brian dettmer a decade of book sculpture canalehastavideo. Susan benarcik creates beautiful sculptures out of recycled paper. 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. The sculpted books of american artist brian dettmer are beautiful and, at the same time, provocative. Feb 06, 2015 what do you do with an outdated encyclopedia in the information age. Oct 23, 2014 like most of us, artist brian dettmer doesnt have much practical use for oldschool dictionaries, encyclopedias and atlases. 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. Nov 07, 2011 book art by brian dettmer artists statement the age of information in physical form is waning. Artist brian dettmer carves old books into intricate narrative sculptures brian dettmer inhabitat sustainable design innovation, eco architecture, green building.
Artist brian dettmer approaches books with knives, tweezers, and bladesharp ideas about the meanings of media and information. Brian dettmer turns old reference books into works of art. From su blackwells whimsical popup landscapes to the stacked book sculptures of kylie stillman, each portfolio celebrates the incredible creative diversity of the medium. Dettmers booksculptures profound in meaning and impact. Mar 26, 2012 a conversation with book sculptor brian dettmer jennifer paull mar 26, 2012 artist brian dettmer approaches books with knives, tweezers, and bladesharp ideas about the meanings of media and information. Crafting with old books is controversial in the upcycling world. Artist brian dettmer answers your questions youtube. Any time that we share old book crafts, we get at least a couple of comments from folks calling shenanigans. Mar 03, 2011 these brian dettmer book sculptures are absolutely mind boggling. Mark strassmann reports on dettmer s vision for a vanishing form of art. Brian dettmer book sculpture, book art, altered book art. Old books are transformed into amazing sculptures by brian dettmer. American artist brian dettmer uses older dictionaries, encyclopedias. Curated by karen ann myers, assistant director of the halsey institute, rebound brings together the work of five mixedmedia artists from around the world who, using books.
His name is brian dettmer, and he creates wickedly awesome sculptures out of old books. Feb, 2015 totem courtesy of the artist and mito gallery. Ann dettmer artist, fine art prices, auction records for. Check out his ted talk about what he does and why he does it. Oct 14, 2016 explore amazing book carvings, 3d book installations, and book towers created by brian dettmer.
Brian dettmer carves intricate sculptures out of old reference books. Continuing that theme, heres a ted talk from artist brian dettmer, who painstakingly carves old books into amazing sculptures. Artist turns old books into sculptures art and design. Discover interesting facts about brian dettmer on artnet. Brian dettmer artist art for sale biography, past and. Artist carves vintage books into astoundingly intricate 3d.
With xacto knives and an eye for a good remix, artist brian dettmer makes beautiful, unexpected sculptures that breathe new. Life and art brian dettmer, born in 1974, was raised in naperville, illinois. The artist makes use of old books like out of date encyclopedias, medical journals, illustration books and dictionaries. Using knives, tweezers and surgical tools, brian meticulously exposes various layers to create his mindblowing artwork. Delicate requirements, 2009, altered books destiny far quick fall remaining, 2009, altered e book home of tongues, 2010, altered guide science within the twentieth century, 2009, altered guide compiled upon a new plan, 2010, altered books the story of man, 2010. These intricately carved books are the work of artist brian dettmer. Based in new york, he is one of the most influential artists working with books and paper. If youre a fan of book art, you probably know the works of brian dettmer. Sep 25, 2014 the photograph gallery wagnalls wheel, 2010, altered set of encyclopedias what brian dettmer does with books is thoughtsblowing.
At first glance, brian dettmer s work might look like collage, but its really the inverse. Sculptor brian dettmer who can turn a book into an. 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. He has a show opening april 3 at chicagos packer schopf gallery.
It looks like theres an issue with javascript in your browser. See the brilliant book sculpture artists who create incredible sculptures and works of art. Book page art artist and designer susan benarcik uses her many talents to create sculpture, installations, textiles, and more. 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.
He first determines the presentation, engineering and construction of his altered book or books. Artist brian dettmer carves old books into intricate narrative sculptures. Why you should listen new yorkbased artist brian dettmer carves intricate sculptures from outdated materials like encyclopedias, textbooks, maps and cassette tapes. When an objects intended function is fleeting, the necessity for a new approach to its form and content arises. Their intended role has decreased or deceased and they often exist simply as symbols of the ideas they represent rather than true conveyers of content. Curated by michelle tillou at the springbreak art show ny. Dettmer often selects books with images as well as text, which gives his book art an extra dimension of imagery. He starts carving at a book, and while elements mayco the intricate web of knowledge we expect books to have kind of stays on in the sculptures of artist brian dettmer. Ive always thought that it would be wonderful to give old books a second life. Known for sculpture, altered book, found object brian dettmer born 1974 is an american contemporary artist. In the book s preface by artist brian dettmer, he speaks of his joy in cutting around a landscape in an old book and finding another image emerge a few pages down. Old books, records, tapes, maps, and other media frequently fall into a realm that too much of todays art occupies. Dettmers book sculptures can feel like a prophecy of doom the end of literacy. Fortunately, dettmers booksculptures resonate as individual beacons to a past medium we should never ever discard.
In this work i begin with an existing book and seal its edges, creating an enclosed vessel full of unearthed potential. So hes turning them into works of art instead, carving away at the. 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. In his work brian begin with an existing book and seals its edges, creating an enclosed vessel full of unearthed potential. Image detail for repurposing books recycle art carving sculpture turning old books into. Book surgeon uses surgical tools to make incredible book. 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. Artist brian dettmer is using old books to create beautiful art. Newer media swiftly flips forms, unrestricted by the weight of material and the responsibility of history. The pieces concern the changing role of physical objects in the information age. 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. The artist calls himself the book surgeon because he uses knives, tweezers, and surgical tools to carve the art works out of old medical journals, illustration books, dictionaries, map books and encyclopedias. 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. He is noted for his alteration of preexisting media such as old books, maps, record albums, and cassette tapes to create transformed works of visual fine art.
Atlantabased artist brian dettmer creates marvelous sculptures by performing surgery on books. With xacto knives and an eye for a good remix, artist brian dettmer ma. Mar 20, 2009 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 is one of the leading artists working with the book today. What do you do with an outdated encyclopedia in the information age. In 2014, brian dettmer was the subject of a ten year retrospective at the hermann geiger foundation in cecina, italy. Find the latest shows, biography, and artworks for sale by brian dettmer. The university of mississippi museum brian dettmer. Artist brian dettmer carves old books into intricate. Artist brian dettmer sculpts books into works of art, such as this the household physicians. For over ten years, he has carved and reshaped old, used books, revealing new connections by slicing away segments of pages. Atlanta artist brian dettmer creates memorable works of art by slicing, whittling and tearing into books.
Artist brian dettmer repurposes old books and media, using an exacto knife to create gorgeous narrative sculptures. Intricate book art carvings by brian dettmer twistedsifter. New yorkbased artist brian dettmer creates impressively intricate multilayered sculptures from books. Brian dettmer is a contemporary american artist, well known for his altered. Some amazing book sculptures by artist brian dettmer. Instead of layering images and text on top of each other, he treats books his main medium like blocks of marble, carving away to reveal complex threedimensional creations. I found a few amazing examples of book sculptures, so i invite you to share the pictures of amazing book art as well. A large body of his current work is created by altering vintage books and assembling sets of books into intricate and innovative sculptures. Old books, cassette tapes, records and maps are the artists medium. Brian dettmer atlanta, ga artist featured sculptors. A preface by pioneering artist brian dettmer and an introduction by design critic alyson kuhn round out the collection. Artist brian dettmer challenges media that has been cast aside.
Brian dettmer is known for his artwork that involves the alteration of information media. And with so many mediums included, you are sure to find the art form of your liking here easily. From professional artists to happy amateurs weve covered it all in this section. Jan 17, 20 artist carves vintage books into astoundingly intricate 3d sculptures guy laramees work speaks to the erosion of cultures and our overreliance on analytical knowledge, symbolized by the book. Art can be serious and mindbending, but it can also be lighthearted and simply pretty. For new books of knowledge 2009 dettmer reveals geographic images to show this encyclopedia as a landscape. Brian dettmer born 1974 is an american contemporary artist. Artist brian dettmer alters books to create sculpture, and he explains his process in his statement. Altered books by brian dettmer art decoration design.
The paper is cut in a way that reveals unusal connections between words and images, otherwise, pages apart. Post the most beautiful examples of book sculptures. 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. Old books, cassette tapes, records and maps are the artist. Old books reborn as art what do you do with an outdated encyclopedia in the information age. Artists not classified as american in our database may have limited biographical data compared to the extensive information about american artists. In a digitized, ipadwielding world what good are physical books anymore. Artist brian dettmer makes sculptures by carving books. Participate in developing a biography for ann dettmer. 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.
Artist uses surgical tools to carve books into stunning. 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. As intangible routes thrive with quicker fluidity, material and history are being lost, slipping and eroding into the ether. Brian dettmer, a new yorkbased artist known as the book surgeon, uses tweezers, knives, scalpels and. Some artists make it happen by turning old books, dictionaries and encyclopedias into admirable sculptures. Nov 20, 2012 brian dettmer creates detailed sculptures out of books. Brain pickings has a free sunday digest of the weeks most interesting and inspiring articles across art, science, philosophy, creativity, childrens books, and other strands of our search for truth, beauty, and meaning. Brian dettmer is a surgical sculptor with a penchant for the esoteric, obscure and nearobsolete. After carefully selecting the source and subject for his investigations, dettmer determines the architecture of construction and aesthetics of presentation for his. Four brilliant book sculpture artists and their most mesmerizing. Artwork by brian dettmer born in chicago but currently living and working out of atlanta, georgia, contemporary artist brian dettmer.
Artist makes highpriced sculptures from old books youtube. Dettmers book art calls attention to the fact that we dont need to. Book art carvings by brian dettmer brian dettmer born naperville, il is a new yorkbased artist known for his detailed and innovative sculptures with books and other forms of antiquated media. Recently i took a trip to the fullerton public library to check out a small exhibition of work by an artist that ive been semiobsessed with for a while now. Last weeks video was a meditation on letterpress printing and the book as a physical object. Aug 30, 2012 dettmer born 1974 is an american contemporary artist.
Artist brian dettmer carves old books into intricate narrative sculptures artist brian dettmer challenges media that has been cast aside. 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 text. The art of kim dettmer, handcrafted pieces created to bring a little bit of happiness into the world. Dettmer, who has exhibited extensively, usually works on several sculptures at once and spends up to 50 hours in his studio every week.
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