Work

A look back at the working world with a typewriter. But one should not be mistaken. Today, earning a living is just as grey for many people. The anonymous traces of the years at the typewriter are now precise traces of each user in his cloud. Thanks to digital omnipotence, the workers on the construction sites and the drivers in the vans are under far greater pressure. Textile machines are in the museum and cylinder heads will soon follow them. I fear that progress will lead to even more black and white.

Black and white reportage photography at various workplaces in the early nineties: Office of a civil servant. In the foreground is a worn out typewriter on a stack of files.

Office of an civil servant. In the foreground is a worn out typewriter on a stack of files.

In a civil servant's office, a worn out typewriter stands on a stack of files.

Black and white reportage photography at various workplaces in the early nineties: Office of a city planner. With the handset in his hand he scrolls through the telephone directory while his desk and the wall is covered with building plans.

Office of a city planner. He flips through the telephone directory while his desk and the wall is covered with building plans.

In a city planner's office.

Black and white reportage photography at various workplaces in the early nineties: Miners on shift in the shaft of the Ewald Schlägel and Eisen coal mine in Herten in the Ruhr area.

Miners on shift in the shaft of the Ewald Schlägel and Eisen colliery in Herten.

Miners on shift in the shaft of the Ewald colliery Schlägel und Eisen.

Black and white reportage photography at various workplaces in the early nineties: A veterinarian examines a cow for pregnancy, while the farmer and a barn helper are standing next to it in suspense.

A veterinarian examines a cow for pregnancy, while the farmer and a barn helper are standing next to it in suspense.

A veterinarian examines a cow for pregnancy.

Black and white reportage photography at various workplaces in the early nineties: Women work in the modern, fully glazed open-plan office of an insurance company. There are paper files everywhere.

Women work in the modern, fully glazed open-plan office of an insurance company.

Women in the modern open-plan office of an insurance company.

Black and white reportage photography at various workplaces in the early nineties: A so-called guest worker on the production line of a four-cylinder gasoline engine for passenger cars. He reaches for a tool hanging from the ceiling.

A so-called guest worker on the production line of a four-cylinder gasoline engine for passenger cars.

A so-called guest worker on the assembly line of an engine production plant.

Black and white reportage photography at various workplaces in the early nineties: At a rest area, a courier driver lies asleep in the passenger seat of his van.

A courier driver sleeps at the rest area in the cabin of his van.

A sleeping courier driver at the rest area.

Black and white reportage photography at various workplaces in the early nineties: Two exhausted seamstresses sit in their break in the smoking room of one of the last German textile factories.

Two seamstresses during their break in a smoking room in one of the last German textile factories.

Two seamstresses are sitting in the smoking room during their break.

Black and white reportage photography at various workplaces in the early nineties: A seamstress at one of the last German textile factories is handling the fabrics of a pair of men

A seamstress in one of the last German textile factories is working on her sewing machine with the fabrics of a pair of men's trousers.

A seamstress at her sewing machine.

Black and white reportage photography at various workplaces in the early nineties: A construction worker on a large building site at an airport weaving steel reinforcement around which concrete is later poured.

A construction worker on a large building site at an airport weaving steel reinforcement.

A construction worker on a large construction site at an airport.

Black and white reportage photography at various workplaces in the early nineties: A plumber climbs into the wall cupboard of a typical old Berlin backyard apartment to repair a sewage pipe.

A plumber climbs into the wall cupboard of a typical old Berlin backyard apartment to repair a pipe.

A plumber climbs into the closet of a typical old Berlin backyard apartment.

Black and white reportage photography at various workplaces in the early nineties: A road construction worker with a cigarette in his mouth moves a vibrator over a layer of sand that is to be paved later.

A worker in road construction moves a vibrator over a layer of sand with a cigarette in his mouth.

A road worker with a cigarette in his mouth.

Black and white reportage photography at various workplaces in the early nineties: A shipyard worker in Rostock manually pulls a heavy piece of steel hanging from a crane into the correct position where it is to be welded.

A shipyard worker in Rostock manually pulls a heavy piece of steel hanging from a crane into the right position to weld it.

A shipyard worker in Rostock pulls a heavy piece of steel hanging from a crane.

Black and white reportage photography at various workplaces in the early nineties: In a galvanizing plant in East Germany, a worker looks out of a protective booth.

Worker in a protective cabin of a galvanizing plant in East Germany.

Galvanizing plant in East Germany.

A worker at a shipyard is welding on the deck of a pontoon.

Shipyard workers welding.

Black and white reportage photography at various workplaces in the early nineties: An employee is searching for files in the basement archive of a tax office.

An employee is searching for files in the basement archive of a tax office.

File search in a tax office.

Pages

Fire Department

Kennedy Space Center

Show of Strength

Psychiatry

Mauritius

Work

Lakota Nation

Salvation Army

Fall of the Wall