Carved Book Art: Pretty or Pointless?

Is there supposed to be an image carved into it?

THAT'S PRETTY AND, AND FACINATING, AND, AND TOTALLY LIKE BRAIL IN A WAY...YOU COULD READ IT WITH YOUR FINGERS THAT WAY! I SAY IF IT'S A GOOD IDEA DON'T WASTE IT AND IF YOU GET THE CREATIVITY TO DO ANYTHING THAT'S NEVER BEEN DONE...I ADMIRE THOSE QUALITIES IN RANDOM STRANGERS OR NEW BEST FRIENDS!!!

I do hope that he doesn't carve up rare and valuable books, but these look really awesome!

Art is so cool, and with all those books never read we now can now give them
A new dream to wish for.
Art is never pointless.

Just saw the mini iPad, know our fingers need to turn into toothpicks.

Cool, but not for me

I don't understand the "pointless" option.

He got skills. If people pay for them, keep doing it. At least he has a job. Maybe just a good hobby lol

Pretty.... pointless. OK, maybe not. It is pretty though.

Creative, though more as an art display then anything functional for a household.

How can anyone consider this pointless? It's something, like most crafts, not many people can do without a machine or computer. Respect to this guy! I would never have the patience. It's beautiful work :)

That's so cool.

looks good

The intricate detail in this is terrific :D

Awesome....

It looks really pretty and cool! I probably wouldnt buy one because they're probably expensive... but Brian Dettmer's art is unique and beautiful. Art is never pointless.

Books are meant to be read, not cut up for art. If other people like it that's great. Not a dime of my money will go to buy one of these books.

When is art ever pointless? Really.

To someone who treats books better that I treat PEOPLE sometimes...that's amazingly beautiful.

The Muze gifts some people differently... I like it.

It looks pretty!! :DD

pretty damn cool give that artist a BIG RAVE.

Art is creativity without a purpose, so by definition it is pointless. That doesn't make it any less beautiful to look at.

That is the purpose...to admire....candy for the eyes.....so not pointless...

Well, I am an artist and I work with many different mediums so I can tell you from my perspective, even though I have been told how wonderful and beautiful my work is, it only benefits me. Just because someone thinks something is pretty does not make that thing have a purpose for their life or indeed, anyone else's. You are simply giving meaning to beauty.
While I am an artist, I am also a realist. Beauty is like candy, you like it, it is nice to have, but you don't need it and it has no real benefit.

Any thing that pleases a person has benifits.....music, love, art, nature...alll pleasing to a person so hence it enriches that life.....gives it joy....... but they are not needed to exsist ....place a man in a cell with only water and rice and he exsists...no joy...

No matter your argument, the plain fact is, things only have the meaning YOU give it. No thing that does not ensure your survival or health has inherent meaning of its own. Period.
The work is beautiful, but NOT necessary. I like art, but I don't pretend it has a point, it's just fun for me to do and more than a few people like it, but it doesn't mean anything. If the world came crashing down tomorrow, I wouldn't even remember art.

A very creative man, I love it.

Not just pretty, but also very impressive.

3D goldfish paintings:

wow.

Those are super hard to make. I tried to carve a dictionary just as deep as a dvd holder... never completed it.

Pretty amazing and creative, aesthetically speaking.

There is one word in the bold print at the top of this page that answers the question for you... ART... People that think art is pointless will always believe so, but NO art is pointless even that Robert Mapplethorpe that everyone was screaming about and galleries and museums refused to display, his art has a point. It's mostly about self-expression, and emotion. Art is something that can bring your mind out of it'self and teach you to express yourself.

I've made a few pieces, and am still working on others, I do a little photography I draw a little, and I write poetry. Just the few pieces I've seen here, although I hate the thought of a book being ruined, as long as there are other copies of the book he's using, I say it's beautiful...

Nifty.

It's amazing..

Are you taking notes Tim Burton?

I think it's cool