British photographer Alastair Philip Wiper spent eight years going in and out of industrial facilities around the world to put together his book, “Unintended Beauty.” Inspired by industrial photographers from the 1950s, Alastair looks to find the beauty in things that were not designed to be beautiful.
When I discovered the work of Maurice Broomfield and Wolfgang Sievers, I went all in to try and build a portfolio and find some interesting places to photograph. I got lucky early on, and some of the pictures I took in the first year of this project are still some of my favorites — like the solar furnace in France and the anechoic chamber in Denmark. They are dear to me because I remember the experience of being there and the excitement of discovering something new. I still love visiting these facilities, but I have seen a lot now and it takes a bit more to really impress me. It still happens though!
Though Alastair’s background is primarily in portraits, fashion, and street photography, he describes his lightbulb moment when he saw industrial photographs that were interesting and had aesthetic power. Alastair’s shots for “Unintended Beauty” started with lines, shapes, and colors. Originally, his industrial shots were very symmetrical, but eventually, Alastair began experimenting with other angles that just feel right to him.
In “Unintended Beauty,” Alastair starts every chapter with a quote from famous individuals such as Carl Sagan, Orson Welles, and Roald Dahl. Alastair chose H.G. Well’s quote that “Ugliness is the measure of imperfection” to start off the book, explaining that the author’s work indirectly inspired his own.
I have always been a huge fan of H.G. Wells. He wrote some of his most famous books in Woking, the town I grew up in, so he was a local hero. More than 100 years ago his science fiction writing predicted many parts of our modern world long before they became reality — phones, email, television, genetic engineering, lasers, atomic weapons for example. I’m sure his work has inspired the people that have built some of the things in this book and they inspired me to make it, so it seemed a perfect way to start the book. It summed up a lot of what the book was about, that these functional machines and facilities don’t have to be ugly, that they can be made beautiful.
In addition to photographs, “Unintended Beauty” features interviews with theoretical physicist Marcelo Gleiser and the host and creator of the award-winning podcast “Everything Is Alive” Ian Chillag. Alastair’s decision to include two distinct points of view stemmed from wanting a more serious take on his work as well as a lighter, funnier perspective.
I wanted to get a scientist or an engineer — someone not necessarily in the art or creative industries — to say something [because] I thought they might have an interesting take on looking at something they see every day in a new light. Marcelo perfectly captured in an unpretentious way the point where science and industry meet creativity and beauty in his foreword, and that is exactly what I was looking for. The interview with Ian was great.
“Unintended Beauty” was published in February 2020. The book launched in Spring 2020 with a touring exhibition across Britain, Denmark, France, and the United States.
Check out more of Alastair’s work at alastairphilipwiper.com
Credits:
Graphic Design: IRONFLAG
Publisher: Hatje Cantz
Interview: Ian Chillag
Foreword: Marcelo Gleiser
Consulting Editor: Nadine Barth
The book is supported by:
The Danish Arts Council
Kvadrat
ReD Associates
Further Reading:
Read more about Alastair on our Published blog
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