Download - My Work Desk
![Page 1: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
What does your work desk look like right now?
![Page 2: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Is it messy or neat?Can you visualise it if you close your eyes?
Reach out for where you left your mouse, your
pen, where is your mug?
![Page 3: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
Does your desk look like this?
![Page 4: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Or this?
![Page 5: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Or more like this?
![Page 6: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
What does it say about you?
Is your desk set up for you, or for other
observers?
Who might these others be?
![Page 7: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Is your work desk different from your desk at home?
![Page 8: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Photo sharing websites such as Flickr host
thousands of images people have taken on their
work desks.
![Page 9: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
A search for “my work desk” generates 33,298
results…
6,516 are made available to others under Creative
Commons licenses
Many were excluded from the terms of this project because they contained images of people or were only
very partial desk images
There are also 95 related groups for Flickr
users to join, such as “life at my desk”, “Desk Flair!”, “Hello. Meet my
desk”, “My desk drawer” and “MDYD – my desk, your desk”
![Page 10: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
In analysing those from Flickr in January 2009 alone,
the desk images display some styles and themes that are present more
widely.
![Page 11: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Some look very neat
![Page 12: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Some are homemade or modified
![Page 13: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Others mark historical moments
![Page 14: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
Some have a clear design
![Page 15: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
And some are very plain or the result of testing new cameras
Why share this?
![Page 16: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Many show off the number of screens – a marker of
importance in geek culture.
Six was the record in January
![Page 17: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
Some people approach their photographs with a
particular style in mind.
![Page 18: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
“Yet another long work day means I may as well take some pictures at work. I did a three exposure bracket merged to HDR,
then over toned mapped and desaturated. Played with tint and contrast a bit to try and get a Fallout 3 effect. Fallout 3 is currently my most favoritest game, consuming my little free time.” - Three if by Bike (Flickr
user)
![Page 19: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
Why is this place so important to us?
![Page 20: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
Because we are spending more time at
work?Are we more flexible
about our identities at work?Is it generational?
![Page 21: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
The range of images and their treatments suggest there is no single answer,
that this place is important for many reasons.
Increasingly, we are spending significant
time and money modifying the visual aspect of even our
smallest possessions and places.
![Page 22: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
In addition to photos of actual desks, this idea has
been adopted by fans of the “12 things meme”.
Participants create grids of 12 images from freely available photos that
represent the items on their desks, rather than the actual items – creating idealised virtual desks.
![Page 23: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
![Page 24: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
![Page 25: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
![Page 26: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
![Page 27: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
![Page 28: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
![Page 29: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
![Page 30: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
![Page 31: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/31.jpg)
![Page 32: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/32.jpg)
![Page 33: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/33.jpg)
What happens to the idea of your desk if you start changing the images around?
![Page 34: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/34.jpg)
![Page 35: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/35.jpg)
This interest in the visual aspect of our work desks crops up
in lots of other places…
![Page 36: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/36.jpg)
there are magazine features on decorated cubicles,
WIRED MAGAZINE
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competitions,
![Page 38: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/38.jpg)
and books.
![Page 39: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/39.jpg)
It seems that many people feel their desk is an
important place and a way of representing themselves.
They spend time constructing this
representation and share images of this place to
convey something about who they are.
![Page 40: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/40.jpg)
After all that, you probably want to know
what’s on my desk, right?
![Page 41: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/41.jpg)
Use your imagination!
![Page 42: My Work Desk](https://reader033.vdocument.in/reader033/viewer/2022061120/546d477daf7959693c8b5722/html5/thumbnails/42.jpg)
Copyright Louise Greig 2009