desk setup collects 307 workspace photographs from Unsplash and presents them as a contemporary typological study. From 2,383 search results for "computer desk setup monitor," I selected only straight-on, front-facing perspectives of unoccupied workstations—filtering out human presence to focus purely on the staged environment.
Unsplash search results for 'computer desk setup monitor'
Like Bernd and Hilla Becher's systematic documentation of industrial structures, this project reveals patterns in how we perform domestic life online. Each image represents someone's careful arrangement—plants positioned just so, cables hidden, lighting optimized—uploaded freely to a platform that commodifies their aesthetic labor.
Snippets of all 2,383 images of desk setup
I cropped each photograph to center the main monitor, converted them to black and white with consistent tonal grading, and formatted them to a horizontal 5:4 aspect ratio—an inversion of the Bechers' vertical 4:5 large-format film.
Snippets of selected 307 images of desk setup
Buried in the metadata, photographers leave gentle breadcrumbs—Instagram handles, app promotions—turning generous contributions into quiet self-advertisement.
Instagram invitation in workspace documentation
App promotion as aesthetic afterthought
By systematizing these performances, desk setup exposes the collective choreography of digital culture, where private spaces become stages for public consumption.
