Customer Reviews

Sex Machines: Photographs and Interviews

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In the hilariously over-pedantic penultimate chapter of _Ulysses_, Joyce describes human copulation as the "energetic piston and cylinder movement necessary for the complete satisfaction of a constant but not acute concupiscence resident in a bodily and mental female organism." Everyone is interested in sex, but only some concentrate on the pistons, and by pistons here, I am not being metaphorical, but literal. The inventors depicted in _Sex Machines: Photographs and Interviews_ (Process / Daniel 13) by Timothy Archibald are almost all piston men. Archibald stumbled upon their works when doing research on independent inventors in general, and found that though the community of sex-machine inventors may be small, it has some cohesion. There are sex machines for sale on eBay, for instance, and web circles of specialists who invent, sell, and collect the machines. The invention of such things has gone on for centuries, as Archibald discovered in browsing Patent Office files, but current technology within the machines as well as within communication between the inventors has brought this particular endeavor out into the open. The result here is a funny book of pictures and interviews that is a small celebration of a peculiar American endeavor.

The photographs, color and full-page in a large format book, do not show any of the machines in action; there is a little tasteful above-the-waist nudity in the pictures, but most concentrate on the machines and the inventors. The pictures often have the machines in just the right environment, the garage or workshop where they were born. Many sit on workbenches as if awaiting the next tweak that will bring the device closer to perfection. Some are on beds. One is on the living room rug, with sawdust and power tools around it, as if we can just anticipate the (one hopes) mixed reaction of the woman of the house when she gets back. The inventors are there, each welding on his machine, or adjusting it, or leaning against the wall with an "Aw, shucks" modesty. Even if you have never seen machines like this, it will be quite obvious what each one does. Every one of them has at its action end some sort of phallus, and perhaps because men are the ones tinkering with them, the phalluses are substantial in length and girth. Some are obviously powered by motors from household appliances, and one uses the motor of a KitchenAid mixer. This has the advantage that you can detach the sexual attachment, put the mixing blade back on, and make cookies. The Cadillac of such machines is the Orgasmo, selling for $6969. The inventor is proud of his work: "I've heard the other guys bragging. I'd be glad to take on their machines anywhere." He describes a highly successful product: "It does everything you want it to: it angles, it raises, it lowers, it vibrates, it thrusts, it's fast, it's slow... it does everything but snuggle with you."

Which, of course, is the ambiguity of success with machine sex. In this book, few women are quoted as reflecting negatively on the devices; one says dismissively, "Here you can just get yourself off, you don't need anyone else... Working through problems helps us grow as a species." None of the women seem disposed to give up men, men who might be too tired, out of Viagra, or otherwise indisposed, for a machine that never tires out. Machines featured on films on the websites often look intimidating, as if they are just one more power thrust (sorry) by males over females, but most of the women quoted in the book are appreciative of gadgets that are meant to deliver nothing but fun, and the inventors seem intent on making gadgets that deliver fun reliably and efficiently, Plenty of the men seem devoted to their own marriages and to marriage as an institution. If the machines are bizarre, that just shows in contrast that the inventors are, as good tinkerers in garages ought to be, optimistic. Let the world beat a path to their doors.

I first saw the author's project on the web a few years back. Forgot about it and then stumbled upon the book last week at work. It's beautiful and cool and surprising all at once. Right now I think its my favorite book of the year, I luv it. Some backround: The author went out across the US to meet inventors of these home made machines. Rather than a freakshow, he finds this collection of everyday people that have curious tales to tell about themselves, their lives and everything else in between. The photographs themselves look like they are from the American heartland, as if the author tapped into America's little secret, this thing we had no idea existed.

The photographs and stories are sandwiched between two essays, but the real stuff is in the middle: the tales the subjects tell, honestly, all in their own words.

it is not what I expected! It's great when I am surprised.

It is so "cute" looking. Kinda like a kids book, all fresh colors.
At first glance it is naughty, but unthreatening, which is the beauty in
it's concept. Not what I expected at all, I love surprises.
The lawn mower really sets it up.

The hidden lives of suburban inventers.

Tim's style of very clear slightly detracted shots really adds to the
simpleness of the topic without judgment or guilt. You donąt really even
feel like you have crossed a sexual boundary. Simple folks inventing, like a
science project, or fixing the mower.

But then I put it down for a few days and then looked at it again. It is a
really weird book! And that's coming from someone that haunted the NYC sex
clubs with Mapplethorpe and Tom of Finland.

All those little background elements, a fire extinguisher, and the shot with
the two and the camper is just a great shot, love the vacuum cleaner. (he
looks like one of my ex's) and his interview is terrific.

Once I got past the whole concept and design it all comes down to great
photography, and documentation of something very unusual, and probably very
American, and he u got it first!"

I am one of those people who love Americana. As an Americana lover, I have always been curious about fellow American's sexual exploration. Timothy Archibald has discovered the seemingly underground, grassroots, world of "Sex Machines." However, Timothy Archibald has revealed a lifestyle that more and more Americans are making part of daily their routines.

"Sex Machines" illustrates that, "Sex is important to people, sexual freedom is important to people, sexual scientific advancements should be praised and the acknowledgement sexual freedom is an important step in today's society. And for that, I thank you Mr. Archibald.

Sex Machines is an awesome book... very bizarre! There are tons of photographs and interviews of people with their sex machine inventions. I had no idea such strange sh*t even existed. I should not be surprised though... I guess this is to be expected in the modern age of technology.

Archibald dissolves any sort of stereotypes that people may have about fetishes and unusual sexual behavior. Most people in the books are your typical suburban dwellers and any of them may be your next-door neighbor!

The interviews are a great addition to the book and rather essential in order to understand the sexual behaviors and motivations of the people depicted in the book. The book contents are also outstanding due to his extensive research on the subject.

The photographs are stunning as well. There is a certain style here that is very effective in documenting the sex machines.

Overall, the book is fabulous! It would be a great addition to anyone's coffeetable book collection... also a great conversation starter!

I think I'm going to have to go build a SEX MACHINE now!

Sex Machines by Timothy Archibald is an interesting and strangely beautiful piece of work to be sure. It portrays a small subculture of seemingly nondescript citizens who have a rather unique avocation- the building of phallic sex machines. The guys involved range from religious zealots and minivan driving family men to outright voyeurs.

The book can be divided into portraits of two categories: those of the participants, and those of the machines themselves. While some of the former portraits offer a tell tale nod and wink as to what their subjects actually delve in, others seem quite detached from the matter at hand, and their interviews are similarly businesslike. Meanwhile, the machines are as disjointed and incongruent as the "portraits" that feature them-mechanical conglomerations of metal gears and pulleys of various Rube Goldberg designs that all culminate in the odd angled and absurdly life like dildo set against the most domestic of backdrops.

The effective use of color provides a warmth and dimension to the subject matter that would have otherwise proven just a tad too clinical with B&W. And the 2 1/4 format simplifies the compositions by cutting to the chase and letting the viewer concentrate on the essentials. I don't know if I learned much (or care to) about this particular mindset, but it was a fun errr... ride!

Who knows what goes on in the suburban garages across the Nation? This intriguing book reveals what goes on in some and probably right now, too. The fifty-one photos celebrate good old American know-how to reveal thirty-three sex machines. Considering they are all narrow focused on the pleasure principle I find it amazing that they all look so different: from Tony Pirelli's tracked robot to Jessy and her simple pneumatic drill unit.

The book is a cut above the usual photobook because of the interviews. Mostly this kind of publication is just photos and a page at the back with captions but Timothy Archibald realized that these folk have a story to tell and he gives them the space. The photos are no-nonsense reportage style (though I thought the cropping could have been a bit better on some) and do exactly what they are supposed to.

A quirky fun book that could hardly be improved on.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

Sex Machines is what all art books aspire to be: accessible, beautiful and thought provoking. The portraits of each character do an amazing job of humanizing (while showing the remarkable) instead of devolving into perverse caricatures. We are given an entertaining and honest look into the every day (and sometimes not so every day) people who create these machines. The book is sitting on my coffee table and everyone who picks it up cannot put it down. It is funny and it is easy to see yourself or someone you know in these stories. After reading this book, you will never look at your neighbors the same again.

Great, great book. Great photography, great design, great subject matter. I really liked the writing as well, the photos definitely tell an amazing story, but the writing helped me to really get a sense of why these people make these machines.

I definitely recommend this book.

I read the original 2005 edition. When I first browsed through this dildo-on-self-made-gadget coffe-table book with its snippets of inventors' and/or users' comments ranging from a threeliner to a couple of pages, I thought: "Oh dear, what book have I ordered now from the internet, which I don't really need...?!" I couldn't have been more wrong. I had no idea, how fascinating this topic of the rather peculiar garage sale could possible turn out. And I am not just talking about the sex machines themselves. Even though, I have to say, previously to this book I hadn't even dreamt about a gothic coffin dildo. Or one which provides rhythm according to .wav files you may download from the internet. Or that some people go as far as to match their dildo to the furniture.

The reasons why people invent these machines and in what context they are using or selling them are similarly diverse and fascinating. From beating a disability to demanding a statement of intent from exclusively proven married couples, you will find as many reasons as inventors. Who in this book are male, all 23 of them. All building machines for women. But getting male customers once in a while. Who order the biggest machines, while the female customers prefer the smalles one on offer...

We even get educated. For example that the porn-induced idea of all that matters would be the way the male partner strokes is completely out of touch with the female body. How about that? And get a brush-up on your history: Already, Cleopatra used a sex machine - powered by bumblebees. Having some of the more adventurous looking machines in mind, I think my favorite quote from the book is: "it must have been a year before I could find anyone to field-test it".

Maybe you are interested in accounts of First Person Sexual: Women & Men Write About Self-Pleasuring and appliances (very SMALL ones in contradiction to the above mentioned tendency) for male health in Prostate Orgasm, Prostate Cure.