Outpoll | Brian Dettmer's Sculpted Books: A Physical Archaeology of Information

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As artificial intelligence and cloud storage redefine our relationship with knowledge, artist Brian Dettmer presents a compelling material argument for the physicality of information. His exhibition 'In·Formation' meticulously converts outdated reference texts—encyclopedias, atlases, technical manuals—into intricate layered sculptures, excavating the tangible architecture of data we have left behind.Dettmer employs a surgical, analog process of dissection and revelation, using precision tools to carve through pages, exposing hidden narratives and historical connections embedded in the paper itself. This deliberate, hands-on method stands in stark contrast to the instantaneous, algorithmic consumption of digital data.Each incision is a curated choice, uncovering fragments of collective memory: obsolete anatomical charts, vanished geopolitical borders, and diagrams of antiquated technology. The artist approaches these volumes not as inviolable objects but as cultural artifacts ripe for exploration.The resulting works function as three-dimensional data maps, with information cascading from book spines or framed within precise geometric apertures. This practice is an act of transformation, not destruction, prompting reflection on the losses incurred when knowledge becomes purely functional, updatable, and detached from a physical vessel.For a creative landscape increasingly mediated by tools like Midjourney and ChatGPT, Dettmer’s work underscores the narrative power of material constraints and the poetry of engaging directly with a medium's history. His sculptures are unique artifacts in an age of digital replication, serving as frozen dialogues between the authority of the printed page and the artist's subjective intervention. They remind us that the 'inner workings of information' encompass not just code and algorithms, but also the weight of paper, the texture of ink, and the human hand that carefully uncovers one idea from beneath another.

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