I’ve run across a few artists that are specializing in cassette tape art. The two pieces are exact opposites. Brian Dettmer is using existing cassette tapes and melting them and molding them into skulls and skeletons. Animal and human. It’s pretty amazing looking and slightly creepy. Even though you know that the skeleton is only made of cassettes you still don’t want to touch it because it looks dirty and decomposed. Please follow the ‘cassette’ link to see all the pics.
Dario Robleto doesn’t specifically use cassette tapes, but the piece that attracted me to him was his piece on the cover of Yo La Tengo’s “Popular Songs” album. It is titled “At War With the Entropy of Nature/Ghosts Don’t Always Want to Come Back”. He sculpted the cassette from carved bone & bone dust from every bone in the human body, trinitite (glass produced during the first atomic test explosion at Trinity test site circa 1945, when heat from the blast melted surrounding sand)….it’s just so interesting. I would recommend reading this short interview with him about his art here. I just love how much music influences his art and the unique way he incorporates it into his sculpture.
This type of art reminds me that I need to get busy creating instead of just listening to records. Artists such as Dettmer, Robleto and Richard Serra inspire me to combine art and music….I need to get a move on.
Currently Listening to: Nilsson – Aerial Ballet LP (1968)
beautiful psychedelic pop beatles-esque. features “Everybody’s Talkin’” and “One”.
What a good way to recycle tapes. Really awesome.
Wow! That is so cool! It doesnt even look like a cassette tape when you first look at it! You are so creative also brother! Love ya!