Is there anything more startling than a paper cut?
That quick slice when you reach out and grab a magazine takes your breath away for an instant.
For artist Brian Dettmer, there’s nothing quick about a paper cut. Dettmer takes old books and slices and cuts them to reveal words and graphics creating visually stimulating three-dimensional pieces that are reminiscent of works by M.C. Escher.
It’s a process in which the artist is “altering physical forms of information and shifting preconceived functions” so the book’s “new and unexpected roles emerge.”
Dettmer explains his work process:
“In this work 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.”
The artist, who currently resides in Atlanta, has seen his art exhibited all across the United States and Europe. He considers his work a collaboration with the writers who wrote the books that he alters. To see many more examples of his work, visit his website.
