The Elephant & The Seahorse, Brian Dettmer and Alex Wong, 2020, 8 x 5-1/4 x 3/4", artist book containing 8 printed and custom cut pages.

About The Book

This piece is a small edition of hand cut board books designed and produced by Brian Dettmer. Inspired by Alex Wong's album The Elephant and the Seahorse, lyrics from Wong's album occupy each page. Text floats above images of maps where memories can be found while empty spaces cut through each page reflect what has been forgotten . Brian Dettmer is a contemporary artist that is Internationally known for his unique sculptures made from vintage books. His works are about the value of cultural records that hold our personal and collective memories, and truths that are being lost as our information becomes less tangible.

A NOTE FROM ALEX WONG:

When I released The Elephant and the Seahorse, I decided against making physical copies as most people had moved to streaming music, and I didn’t want to create more plastic to put into the world. But I did want to offer people the now-rare experience of listening to our favorite records while leafing through the album artwork, letting fingers and eyes explore the visuals while ears and bodies absorb the music. I asked Brian to help me create something that felt like diving deep into a memory. Together we imagined something like a reverse pop-up book, an object that can be explored in many directions, with nooks and crannies and crevices that connect to unexpected places just like our memories. Our goal was for the viewer to be able to forge their own path through the object as they listen to the album.

Limited edition of 20- hand numbered and signed