“Office”: The Chaos and Alienation of Office Life by by Lars Tunbjörk (Book Review)

Lars Tunbjork Office

(Image from “Office”. © Lars Tunbjork)

I recently came upon the work of Lars Tunbjörk from my buddy Mattias Leppäniemi, a Swedish documentary photographer. What I love about his style is that he is able to effectively combine the energy and grit of street photography, yet make a statement about society through the rigor of the documentary approach.

In his project “Office” he captured perfectly the monotony, chaos, and sense of alienation that offices give the modern-day office worker. Having worked in an office myself, it is fascinating to see this strange social world as an outsider.

Photos from “Office”

Below are some of my favorite photographs from “Office”.

Lars Tunbjork Office
© Lars Tunbjork
Lars Tunbjork Office
© Lars Tunbjork
Lars Tunbjork Office
© Lars Tunbjork
Lars Tunbjork Office
© Lars Tunbjork
Lars Tunbjork Office
© Lars Tunbjork
Lars Tunbjork Office
© Lars Tunbjork
Lars Tunbjork Office
© Lars Tunbjork
Lars Tunbjork Office
© Lars Tunbjork
Lars Tunbjork Office
© Lars Tunbjork
Lars Tunbjork Office
© Lars Tunbjork
Lars Tunbjork Office
© Lars Tunbjork
Lars Tunbjork Office
© Lars Tunbjork
Lars Tunbjork Office
© Lars Tunbjork
Lars Tunbjork Office
© Lars Tunbjork
Lars Tunbjork Office
© Lars Tunbjork
Lars Tunbjork Office
© Lars Tunbjork
Lars Tunbjork Office
© Lars Tunbjork

See the rest of the “Office” series here

I believe the book is now out-of-print, but you can find some second-hand copies on Amazon. If you dig his style and his eye for looking for the details, check out his other books available in the links below.

Want more book recommendations? Check out my post, 75+ Inspirational Street Photography Books You Gotta Buy

Video Review of Office

Below is a video-review of the book “Office”, check it out!

Books by Lars Tunbjork

More work by Lars Tunbjork

Bio on Lars Tunbjörk

Represented by Gallery VU’

Swedish. Born in 1956 in Boras. Lives in Stockholm.

Whether creating an acid portrait of Sweden, representing the nightmarish world of business offices, tapping into the desolate uniformity of petrified, petit-bourgeois neighbourhoods, examining the state of marginalised peoples in a nation praised for its system of social protection, or exploring the strangeness of a town on the cusp of the Arctic Circle, Lars Tunbjörk has totally forgotten his black and white beginnings.

All his energy is now devoted to the exploration of colour, which he approaches in the style of 1970’s American photographers. This is his starting point for questioning the world, a series of interrogations more than observations, which he develops without pessimism but with an undeniable affliction softened by a biting humour. Over time, his approach has become radicalised and purified by being less and less anecdotal. Consequentially, his series no longer represents characters but rather the often absurd track of their presence and their actions.

-From the Profile page on the Gallery VU website.

Which of the photos from “Office” strike you the hardest? Love his work or dislike it? Share your thoughts in the comments below!