Michigan Monsoon Meanderings--Book Art

With it raining more on than off for the past seventy-two plus hours here in northern Michigan (more for the down-staters), its been a great time to read favorite blogs and wander from link to link online.  Travis Jonker of 100 Scope Notes in his post yesterday linked to the Colossal Art & Design site for these one of a kind Custom Stacked Book Side Tables.  They are the creation of Jane Dandy.  What book lover wouldn't be happy with this?!

In viewing this unique art another link popped up to the Book Origami work of Isaac Salazar.  As stated in his profile on Flickr:  I use simple math and an exacto knife, along with lots of time. It takes me anywhere from 3 days for the simpler styles to 2 weeks for the more complex styles....I like to take a book that would otherwise end up in a landfill and turn it into art. 
He graciously gave me permission to share this graphic with my readers.  His full gallery filled with amazing visuals can be viewed by clicking on the link above.

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.