Work
An ongoing project, this series was photographed in India beginning in 2007 exploring the core activity of daily life—work. Capturing instants of hardship, burden, bureaucracy, boredom, humour and in-between moments are some of the manifestations of livelihood revealed in this series.
From office worker or security guard, to road builder or electronic waste recycler, the modern era sees a proliferation of work types and places, especially in the context of the rapid migration from rural to urban and the scale of the informal labour sector. This migration is also a catalyst for societal change and the familiar global story of development where workers become more disconnected from the product of their labour. In addition, the idiosyncrasies of office paperwork stacked high and the proliferation of rubber stamps, the iconic symbol of bureaucracy contrast with the arduous labour of road building crews breaking rocks high in the Himalayas. This body of work is further expanded upon in the book Departures.
Garment Factory, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
Ordering counter at the Indian Coffee House, Kolkata
Market research office, Delhi
Office workers, Delhi
Security guard in a Gurgoan office block elevator, Delhi
Travel agent, Mumbai
Media production office, Mumbai
Media production office, Mumbai
Bus driving crew taking a break, Mumbai
Barbershop, Varanasi
Exuberant beach vendors, Goa
Cleaning the moat at Virasat-e-Khalsa Museum of Sikhism, Ananpur Sahib, Punjab
Road Labourers near Changla Pass 17,598ft (5.059 meters) Ladakh
Road Labourer near Changla Pass 17,598ft (5.059 meters) Ladakh
Road Labourers near Changla Pass 17,598ft (5.059 meters) Ladakh
Underground E-Waste workers, Mustafabad, Delhi
Public Notaries desk, Chandiagrh
Government office, Chandigarh
Government office, Chandigarh
Government office, Chandigarh
High Court workers, Chandigarh
Security guards, Chandigarh
Administration office, Chandigarh College of Architecture
Administration office, Chandigarh College of Architecture
Machine room attendant, Nehru Hospital, Chandigarh
Public notary, Chandigarh
Administration office, Chandigarh bus terminal
Painting the Assembly Building, Chandigarh
Educational Institutes, Chandigarh
Welder, Delhi
Goat assisted recycling, Chhatrapati Shivaji Train station, Mumbai
Office boy living on premises, Delhi
Office, Mysore
Boats and boatman on the Ganges, Varanasi