Brian Dettmer sifts through stacks of antiquated books, boxes of dusty cassette tapes, and piles of obsolete maps to uncover the perfect source and subject for his conceptual explorations and sculptural dissections. Dettmer alters pre-existing materials by selectively removing and manipulating elements as a way to allow new interpretations and ideas to emerge. With the precision of a surgeon, Dettmer uses scalpels, tweezers, and other medical instruments to carve into the surface of his found objects to reveal hidden meanings.

Skull, sculpture made from altered cassette tape cartridges by Brian Dettmer

Websters New World Dictionary altered by Brian Dettmer