“There is something curiously and unexpectedly satisfying about Alastair Philip Wiper's images of factories, laboratories and industrial facilities. These are places that, by definition, prioritize function over form. Yet, their colors, textures, symmetrical patterns and converging lines reveal a surprising -- if entirely accidental -- beauty.” - CNN

“Wiper’s photos (are) more than just eye candy. They expose viewers to the surprisingly stunning processes that meet their daily needs and desires—and in the process, might inspire them to think more deeply about their own consumption.” - Wired

“Wiper’s work is impressive both for its aesthetic qualities and its unveiling of unseen industrial worlds” - Creative Review

“Unintended Beauty is one of the most captivating books we’ve seen in some time; a stellar ode to the inconceivable magnificence of technology and human progression.” - We Heart

About the book:

Unintended Beauty offers a rare insight into places of work, knowledge and power that are normally kept behind closed doors. Unintended Beauty is a photographic exploration of industrial iconography and scientific symbolism found in technical facilities in around the world. The book reveals the accidental aesthetics, sublime complexities and rich details of our machines - machines that smash atoms together, build aeroplanes, produce medicine, make shoes, stuff sausages, and more.

“The human mind is capable of extraordinary things. We create systems, structures and machines that allow us to provide for our lives and answer our questions about the universe. Machines tell the story of our needs and desires, our hopes and follies, our visions for the future.” - Alastair Philip Wiper

Wiper portrays the imperfectly perfect and he consistently challenges the common perception of beauty by highlighting the unintended aesthetics of industry, science and architecture.

“Something I want to do is challenge what people think of as beautiful, because there are a lot of things that you can say are ugly and beautiful at the same time. The title of the book ‘Unintended beauty’ is meant to be a bit provocative. A lot of beautiful things should have a bit of ugliness to them.” – Alastair Philip Wiper

The book is published by Hatje Cantz and features a foreword by renowned theoretical physicist Marcelo Gleiser, and an interview with Alastair by Ian Chillag, host of NPR’s Everything is Alive podcast. Facilities featured in the book include Boeing, adidas, The European Space Agency, Playmobil, Steinway & Sons, Kvadrat, CERN, Maersk, Absolut, Bang & Olufsen, Danish Crown, Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, Ørsted, Technical University of Denmark, Mykita, RealDoll, Arla, Doc Johnson, Koenigsegg, ITER nuclear fusion experiment and many more.

Unintended Beauty is printed on Galerie Art Silk paper and the cover is made from Italian Manifattura del Seveso cotton textile with debossed text and glossy image.

The book has been kindly supported by Kvadrat and the Danish Art Foundation, with help along the way from ReD Associates.

Shipping:

We ship worldwide. The shipping charge and delivery time depends on your delivery country.

Denmark: €7 per book
Europe: €19 per book
Rest of World: €19 - 25 per book depending on location

If your items are in stock, your order is normally shipped within a few days, but you are welcome to send a mail to apw@alastairphilipwiper.com to find out how quickly we can ship a particular product if you want it by a certain date. 

Please note that local import tax may be charged when shipping outside the EU, and this is out of our control.