Blasting Books with High-Pressure Water, Guy Laramée Scales Mountains of Knowledge

From his mountainside studio in Nova Friburgo, Brazil, Guy Laramée (previously) creates otherworldly sculptures that mirror nearby peaks like Pico da Caledônia. Using a unique method of blasting antique books with high-pressure water and stripping them of their covers, he manipulates the bound text blocks into craggy cliff faces and rocky promontories.

When viewed from certain angles, each sculpture’s identity as volumes of text nearly vanishes as we perceive mountains in miniature. As one moves around the pieces, the rigid form of stitched binding appears or printed pages ruffle and hint and the contents.

a detail of the top of a sculpture made from a set of large books, covers removed to reveal the stitched binding, which has been water-blasted to soften and manipulate the pages into a form resembling a large mountain
Detail of “Livros 3”

Laramée’s sculptures tread the line between object and landscape, juxtaposing themes of knowledge, history, and archives with geology, time, and the environment. The artist often employs dictionaries and encyclopedias, which constantly evolve and require updates, exploring the tension between physical representations of information and learning and our relationship with the natural world.

The works shown here are part of Laramée’s online exhibition presented by JHB Gallery, Livros, which continues through May 4. Find more on the artist’s website.

Blasting Books with High-Pressure Water, Guy Laramée Scales Mountains of Knowledge
“Livros 3” (2025), waterblasted books, inks, pigments, and acrylic sealer, 9.06 x 10.63 x 8.27 inches
a sculpture made from a set of large books, covers removed to reveal the stitched binding, which has been water-blasted to soften and manipulate the pages into a form resembling a large mountain or glacier with a large crevasse
“Livros 6” (2025), waterblasted books, inks, pigments, and acrylic sealer, 7.87 x 14.17 x 5.91 inches
a sculpture made from a set of large books, covers removed to reveal the stitched binding, which has been water-blasted to soften and manipulate the pages into a form resembling a large mountain
“Livros 6”
a sculpture made from a set of large books, covers removed to reveal the stitched binding, which has been water-blasted to soften and manipulate the pages into a form resembling a large mountain
“Livros 2” (2025), water-carved books, inks, pigments, acrylic sealer, and metal clip, 12.99 x 10.63 x 8.27 inches
a sculpture made from a set of large books, covers removed to reveal the stitched binding, which has been water-blasted to soften and manipulate the pages into a form resembling a large mountain
“Livros 1” (2025), water-carved books, inks, pigments, acrylic sealer, and metal clip, 6.66 x 9.84 x 5.91 inches
a sculpture made from a set of large books, covers removed to reveal the stitched binding, which has been water-blasted to soften and manipulate the pages
“Livros 5” (2025), waterblasted books, inks, pigments, and acrylic sealer, 11.4 x 15.75 x 9.06 inches
a detail of the craggy texture of a sculpture made from a set of large books, covers removed to reveal the stitched binding, which has been water-blasted to soften and manipulate the pages into a form resembling a large mountain
Detail of “Livros 5”
a sculpture made from a set of large books, covers removed to reveal the stitched binding, which has been water-blasted to soften and manipulate the pages into a form resembling a large mountain or glacier
“Livros 4” (2025), waterblasted books, inks, pigments, and acrylic sealer, 9.84 x 15.75 x 9.06 inches

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