Hand Dryers

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About Hand Dryers

Product Description Hand Dryers is, quite simply, the world’s most complete photographic assemblage of hand dryers. Who knew that something so normal, so instantly forgetful, so remarkably unremarkable could be a thing of such exquisite intrigue? Based on Samuel Ryde’s popular Instagram page of the same name, this new book documents the beauty that can be found in an everyday stalwart of industrial design.   These evocative images, taken in bathrooms across the globe, showcase the hand dryer’s versatile design and its ability to enhance the environment around it—some ooze nightclub sex appeal and dazzle, some a clinical sleekness, others a workhorse charm. And oh, the stories they could tell.   Lavishly illustrated with more than 250 full-color photographs, Hand Dryers pays colorful homage to the fluid margin between utilitarian design and inimitable art. Review "Could we ever need more insight than we do now about how to dry our hands in washrooms while touching almost nothing? . . . [Ryde] juxtapos[es] soullessly pristine machines with battered examples bearing scrawled love messages or out-of-order warnings. Anyone who has traveled may feel longings for the days of unpredictable lavatory conditions at highway rest stops on many continents. People contemplating washroom renovations post-pandemic may find helpful suggestions for installing hand dryers against backdrops of beige or psychedelic tiles or wallpaper patterned with pizza slices, leopards or songbirds." ― New York Times "Documents both the visual qualities of the machine and its surroundings to create a surprisingly fascinating archive of shapes, forms, colours and text. . . . Ryde delights in the variety offered by such a commonplace object, and might well set us on an obsessive journey all of our own." ― Elephant Magazine "A bizarre idea, but compulsively fascinating." ― Daily Telegraph " Hand Dryers taps into our curiosity for what everyday objects look like in different parts of the country, or indeed the world. From launderettes to vending machines and now hand dryers, there’s evidently something quietly satisfying about seeing one thing in a hundred different variations. The book makes for an interesting anthropological study – just the thing for a bit of light reading on the loo (before, of course, using the hand dryer)." ― Creative Review "These photos uncover the inherent beauty in hand dryers." ― Londonist "Ryde has documented dozens of varieties of hand dryers ranging from the utilitarian to the deluxe, in locations ranging from Brooklyn dive bars to posh London bistros. Some hand dryers, like the ones at vegan restaurant chain Eat by Chloe, are cleverly integrated into the bathroom decor. Others look as though they're tacked onto the wall as an afterthought." ― Wired About the Author Samuel Ryde is a British documentary photographer living in London. Hand Dryers is his first book of photography. He can be found on Instagram at @handdryers.