I guess I should call Brian Dettmer’s work “book art,” rather than “book porn,” but for bookworms, his work truly does inspire a racing heart, sweaty palms, and…other reactions. How exactly does he do it?
On Dettmer’s website, he describes how he sculpts old books into works of art:
“I begin with an existing book and seal its edges, creating an enclosed vessel full of unearthed potential. I cut into the surface of the book and dissect through it from the front. I work with knives, tweezers and surgical tools to carve one page at a time, exposing each layer while cutting around ideas and images of interest. Nothing inside the books is relocated or implanted, only removed. Images and ideas are revealed to expose alternate histories and memories.”
In collaboration with the authors of the original works, he interacts with words and pictures as they slowly emerge from the interior of the books. This interaction produces book sculptures that are striking and evocative.
I am particularly drawn to the pieces carved from books on medicine and anatomy. For example:
The Household Physicians, 2008, Altered Books, 10-1/2" x 8" x 12" - Image Courtesy of Brian Dettmer and Kinz + Tillou Fine Art
Effect of Sensory may also be detected, 2008, Altered Book, 9-1/2" x 9" x 2-3/4" - Image Courtesy of Brian Dettmer and Packer Schopf
More pictures of Dettmer’s work can be found here.
