In previous works, Callan has cut, scratched, folded and punched surfaces of original prints, paintings and photographs rendering the original virtually unrecognizable. In this manner, he draws attention to the objects we are surrounded by everyday. Callan addresses books as objects rather than sacred cultural artifacts and prompts viewers to explore ideas of materiality: what is a book and what is its purpose? Within a cultural context of hypertexts, virtual communication, the Internet and the commodification of books,Callan’s work encourages viewers to consider how we now address traditional modes of relaying knowledge such as through the use of textbooks, encyclopedias and atlases. In his artist statement, Callan describes his work as addressing, “the relationship of disembodied knowledge to embodied experience and materiality.”