Under the Knife

Not that I am in any way advocating that any of my students should (heaven forbid) try this with any of their books, but what sculptor, Brian Dettmer, does with books is nothing short of amazing.  This link shows fifteen of his pieces with a link to another seven exhibits of his altered books with an interview about his work.  At the bottom of these two web pages is a link to his professional web site.  At his web site he has a connection to Flickr where additional images can be viewed.  I spent quite a bit of time looking at how he takes mainly reference books, seals them closed and carves them not knowing exactly where his cuts will take him as each layer is revealed.   In a short video where he speaks about his creative process he expresses his view of the fleeting quality of our newer technologies versus the lasting power of older technologies.  His example of how easily a file can be lost on a computer but a paperback book can last for years is noteworthy.  In his blog interview he states:  We are at a pivotal point in our history and the way we are recording it. It's frightening and exciting at the same time.  Well said and point taken.