Made over a four year period defined by economic uncertainty, increased worker insecurity and the decline of traditional work practices, Union responds to how the institutions of organised labor, designed to protect workers from exploitation in the nineteenth century, have responded to the crisis of today. Bowler's photographs document the interior spaces of trade union offices in 14 different countries, all with distinct cultural and historical differences and provide a glimpse into the normally unseen spaces where the decisions and policies are created that affect so many. Combining photographs of these interior spaces with portraits of union leaders, Union is a journey through an anxious world where the apparent certainty of the past faces an unknown future.
Noel Bowler (b. 1978 in Ireland) is a photographer and educator. His work has been exhibited worldwide including New York Photofestival and Les Recontres d'Arles. Bowler has been nominated for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize and for the Prix Pictet.