The Extraordinary World of MARBL: Brian Dettmer

The Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library is a place of discovery. All are welcome to visit and explore our unique holdings, whether as a researcher or an observer. The breadth and depth of our collections are vast, and it is nearly impossible to investigate every nook and cranny. We invite you this year, through our blog, to tour some of those places you didn't know existed, and get acquainted with collections you might not have previously explored. Check back in with us weekly over the course of 2013 as we offer you a delightful look into some of the favorite, but perhaps lesser-known, corners of our collections. These pieces are visually interesting, come attached with fascinating stories, and are often 3D objects you might not have realized are part of what makes up The Extraordinary World of MARBL.

We Kill One, by Brian Dettmer

When is a book not a book? When it's turned into a piece of art by Atlanta-based artist Brian Dettmer. MARBL recently acquired the artwork pictured here. Dettmer makes intricate sculptures from old, discarded books by removing the core of the volume and then creating collages of text and images from fragments of the removed pages. As well as single books, as in our example, Dettmer also creates larger works from multiple encyclopedia volumes and paperbacks.To be truly appreciated, his works must be seen in person and an exhibition of a number of his works can be seen for a few more days at Atlanta's Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA GA) with the exhibition ending on Saturday, January 5.

by David Faulds, Rare Book Librarian, MARBL

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