In 2010, South African-born photographer John Thackwray began a journey across the globe with his series titled My Room Project. By setting up a camera on the ceiling of each participant's bedroom, he captures the intimate details of their most private spaces and then interviews them about their lifestyles and cultures. The photographic series, which initially began with friends in Paris, has spanned thousands of rooms in over 55 countries, from Teheran and Tokyo to New York and Nepal.
By focusing exclusively on people born in the 80s and 90s, the series hones in on the hopes, dreams, and cultural attitudes of a generation. Thackwray shares, “At that time it was just a hobby, a different way of traveling. It was also a way to meet people, and it was just basically to see how people of my age live in all those countries.” From its initial beginnings, My Room Project has blossomed into a traveling international exhibition with a forthcoming book of photographs and participant testimonies that is currently available for pre-order through the photographer's website.
Through his selection of a wide range of participants—rich, poor, traditional, modern—Thackwray’s work is an anthropological testimonial to the diversity of lifestyles found in contemporary society.
Above image: ROOM#385 – PEMA – Katmandu – Nepal
ROOM#205 – GULLE – Istanbul – Turkey
ROOM#024 – JOSEPH – Paris – France
ROOM#256 – RYOKO – Tokyo – Japan
ROOM#290 – YUAN – Dali – China
ROOM#219 – MALEEQ – New York – United States
ROOM#365 – LALU – Varanasi – India
ROOM#665 – MARCELLO – La Paz – Bolivia
ROOM#466 – ELAHE – Teheran– Iran
ROOM#149 – OSIA – Ha Selomo – Lesotho
ROOM#416 – OLEG – Novosibirsk – Russia
ROOM#192 – ANDREEA – Bucharest – Romania
ROOM#829 – SALEH – Riyad – Saudi Arabia
ROOM#348 – ASHA – Bamansemilya – India
My Room Project: Website
via [the khool, Photogrist]
