Brian dettmer, a new yorkbased artist known as the book surgeon, uses tweezers, knives, scalpels and. Artist turns old books into sculptures art and design. Brian dettmer creates detailed sculptures out of books. Name brian dettmer born chicago, illinois born chicago, il 1974 active in. Brian dettmer dona nuova vita ai vecchi mezzi di comunicazione sezionando e scavando in punta di. Altered, sculpted, carved, transformed by laura heyenga, brian dettmer and alyson kuhn.
Her artistic practice comprises of sculptures, drawing and photography. Dettmer carves intricate sculptures out of encyclopedias, dictionaries, medical guides, art books, historical volumes and atlases. The interlinking of art and geography was beautifully done, and would have worked much better had the storyline and plot been a little more substantial, rather than musings about life in the soviet. Employing a variety of techniques and mediums from sculpture to origami, texasbased artist isaac salazar and georgiabased brian dettmer are two artists to watch. The university of mississippi museum brian dettmer. The end results are fascinating sculptures that are giving a new vibe to the original book.
Old books carved into intricate narrative sculptures by. His name is brian dettmer, and he creates wickedly awesome sculptures out of old books. Based in new york, he is one of the most influential artists working with books and paper. Featuring artists who are recognized for excellence, the mary martin gallery has been named one of the 25 best galleries in the nation and number one in south carolina. Dettmers book sculptures can feel like a prophecy of doom the end of. Find art for sale at great prices from artists including paintings, photography, sculpture, and prints by top emerging artists like berit bredahl.
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 carves art out of encyclopedias, medical journals etc. Center for performing arts, sculpture by jonathan borofsky, denver, colorado, usa photographic print by walter bibikow. Four brilliant book sculpture artists and their most mesmerizing. Any time that we share old book crafts, we get at least a couple of comments from folks calling shenanigans. Brian dettmer is a contemporary american artist, well known for his altered. From su blackwells whimsical popup landscapes to the stackedbook sculptures of kylie stillman, each portfolio celebrates the incredible creative diversity of the medium. Let us have a break and distract our minds from the work for a little. Brian dettmer o h what to do with those outofdate annuals, encyclopaedias, and other. Making and sharing are her two biggest passions, and shes created hundreds of free online diy tutorials and videos, mostly about technology and. He begins by sealing the edges of a book with epoxy to create a.
With xacto knives and an eye for a good remix, artist brian dettmer makes beautiful, unexpected sculptures that breathe new life into old books. Artist brian dettmer is using old books to create beautiful art. Fascinating book and paper art by brian dettmer pictures. 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. In a digitized, ipadwielding world what good are physical books anymore. Contemporary visual artists see opportunity in what many bemoan as the twilight of the age of the book. Atlantabased artist brian dettmer, however, chisels his art from books. Each week our members publish work on our submissions platform and we highlight the best of these submissions as editors picks. Then, with the precision of a surgeon, using scalpels and hundreds of xacto blades, he alters the preexisting. From su blackwells whimsical popup landscapes to the stackedbook sculptures of kylie stillman, each portfolio. Brian dettmer artwork video exhibitions bibliography collections bio cv contact 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 20 2012 2011 2010. Contact mary martin in charleston at 8437230303 for outstanding personal service in adding to your art collection. Discover interesting facts about brian dettmer on artnet.
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. The pieces concern the changing role of physical objects in the information age. If youre a fan of book art, you probably know the works of 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. Newer media swiftly flips forms, unrestricted by the weight of material and the responsibility of history. Ppow is a contemporary art gallery in new york city. It looks like theres an issue with javascript in your browser. Curated by michelle tillou at the springbreak art show ny. Book sculptor brian dettmer brian dettmer sculpts the pages of old books, excavating and revealing new meaning from this old form of media.
Colorados aspen groves perfectly preserved raitman art. Since the rise of the ereader, books have been on the decline. 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. Brian dettmer carves intricate sculptures out of old reference books. A preface by pioneering artist brian dettmer and an introduction by design critic alyson kuhn round out the collection. Check out his ted talk about what he does and why he does it crafting with old books is controversial in the upcycling world. American artist brian dettmer uses older dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks, science and engineering books, art books, medical guides, history books, atlases. 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. Carving old books into works of art studio 360 wnyc.
Works by this artist 1 item the march of democracy. These brian dettmer book sculptures are absolutely mind boggling. What do you do with an outdated encyclopedia in the information age. Dettmers booksculptures profound in meaning and impact. 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, altered books the story of. He is noted for his alteration of preexisting mediasuch as old books, maps, record albums, and cassette tapesto create new. Brian dettmer is a surgical sculptor with a penchant for the esoteric, obscure and nearobsolete. New paintings by artist matthew dettmer previously featured here. Unlike most people in the world, demott has been able to take his awe struck experience. Artist makes highpriced sculptures from old books youtube.
Becky stern is a content creator at autodeskinstructables, and part time faculty at new yorks school of visual arts products of design grad program. Find art you love and shop highquality art prints, photographs, framed artworks and posters at. Brian dettmer born 1974 is an american contemporary artist. A conversation with book sculptor brian dettmer jennifer paull mar 26, 2012 artist brian dettmer approaches books with knives, tweezers, and blade. Book surgeon uses surgical tools to make incredible book. Artist brian dettmer carves old books into intricate. As intangible routes thrive with quicker fluidity, material and history are being lost, slipping and eroding into the ether.
Brian dettmer, hunter reynolds, timothy wehrle, david wojnarowicz, martin wong. The memory artist is a beautifully written book about pain, fear and repression interwoven with an interplay of memory, activism and history. He first determines the presentation, engineering and construction of his altered book or books. Artist brian dettmer challenges media that has been cast aside. About the artist by painting landscapes directly from nature and still lifes from studio arrangements, i learned the nuances of light and color on every imaginable subject. 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. The importance of painting from life can not be stressed enough, as photographs are inaccurate both in value and color. Brian dettmer turns old reference books into works of art. Explore amazing book carvings, 3d book installations, and book towers created by brian dettmer. The photograph gallery wagnalls wheel, 2010, altered set of encyclopedias what brian dettmer does with books is thoughtsblowing. Old books, cassette tapes, records and maps are the artist s medium. Futures examines the expanding role of the handmade in contemporary culture through the work of the next generation of artists.
Using knives, tweezers and surgical tools, brian meticulously exposes various layers to create. The artist seeks to offer the entities a new meaning and function in the world, they are reduced to symbols in a blank paper sheet written by dettmer that will set new ideas and relationships with the apparent materiality. Altered, sculpted, carved, transformed heyenga, laura, dettmer, brian, kuhn, alyson on. Martins school of art and the royal college of art, london. Book art by brian dettmer artist s statement the age of information in physical form is waning. Altered books by brian dettmer art decoration design.
For a better experience, we recommend that you enable javascript. John latham 19212006, hubertus gojowczyk, doug beube and. He is noted for his alteration of preexisting mediasuch as old books, maps, record albums, and. Atlanta artist brian dettmer creates memorable works of art by slicing, whittling and tearing into books. 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. Currently on display at c3 contemporary art space in melbourne, see more images from what the hell is with stonehenge. The paper is cut in a way that reveals unusal connections between words and images, otherwise, pages apart. Similar to so many others, don demotts life took a major turn after his first foray into the wondrous forests and mountains of colorado. Mary martin gallery is located in charleston, south carolina. Fortunately, dettmers booksculptures resonate as individual beacons to a past medium we should never ever discard. Old books, cassette tapes, records and maps are the artists medium. Brian dettmer turns books into sculptural pieces sfgate. Moving onto bigger and better things, this chicagoborn, atlantabased artist has replaced his cassette tape art with a more novel adventure pun intended. Altered, sculpted, carved, transformed a compendium of extraordinary artworks from the around the world.
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