Artist? Surgeon? Bookman?

Brian Dettmer has a thing for books...and other media that he feels is going by the wayside.  His mind works in mysterious ways, and like a book archaeologist, he digs and carves his way through a book's physical body searching for treasure.

He believes the book as a physical form of information is ending, and a lot of history gets lost in the transition.  Since the book's intended function has waned, new roles for it emerge.  He recontextualizes books, maps, tapes, and similar media, creating new modes of expression.

He often begins with a book and seals its edges, creating an enclosed vessel that's pure potential.  Working with his instruments - knives, tweezers, and surgical tools - he cuts into the surface and dissects it, one page at a time.

Nothing within his creations is relocated or implanted, things are just removed. Alternate meanings are exposed.  He sees his works as collaborations between the item, its original creator(s), and himself.

Originally from Chicago, Dettmer now lives in Atlanta.  He has shown his work throughout the U.S., Mexico, and Europe, and is represented by galleries on both sides of the pond.  His work an be found in private and public collections in the U.S., Latin America, Europe, and Asia.

This booklover doesn't think that the physical book as a source of information or entertainment is dead.  There is a tactile pleasure in holding something that tickles your mind.  But there is room in my world for books for reading, and books for art, and Dettmer's work offers me visual pleasure.

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All images courtesy of the artist.

Take a look at his website to see more of his work.

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