What does a young person's bedroom say about their life? Quite a lot, it turns out. In his long-running series My Room, photographer John Thackwray visits people born in the 1980s and 1990s in their own rooms and photographs them from above, sitting in the middle of everything they own. A warrior in Kenya, an engineer in Tokyo, a shepherd in Lesotho and a film director in Paris all get the same treatment: one wide, overhead frame that shows the person, their bed, their clothes, their books and whatever else fills the space.
The format is simple, and that is its strength. Because every picture is taken the same way, the differences jump out: how much space people have, what they choose to display, what they pray towards, which football club they love. So do the similarities. Almost everyone has a bed, a few treasured objects and some way of showing who they are to visitors. The rooms are arranged by their occupants for the photo, so they are a self-portrait as much as a documentary record.
Thackwray, born in South Africa, has worked as a filmmaker and photographer, and his personal projects focus on human rights and development. The project has been exhibited and published as a book. Here are 30 of his portraits, grouped by region.
How the My Room portraits are made
Each image is shot from close to the ceiling with a very wide lens, which is why the walls curve outward and the room seems to wrap around its owner. The subject usually sits or stands in the centre and looks up at the camera. Nothing is hidden behind the photographer, so the whole room fits into the frame.
Look closely and you will see the same questions answered in different ways: is the bed a mattress on the floor or a carved wooden frame? Is there a desk, a prayer mat, a guitar, a pile of laundry? Those small details tell you about income, climate, religion, work and personal taste, without a single word of caption.
Africa
Manyatta, Kenya, Ezekiel, 22–Year-Old Warrior
A manyatta is a traditional homestead of the kind built by Maasai and related pastoralist communities in Kenya. Ezekiel, wrapped in a red cloth, stands in a round, earthen space where cooking pots, gourds and firewood share room with his sleeping area. For young men in these communities, the "warrior" stage is a recognised age set with its own duties.
Lesotho, Osia, 18-Year-Old Shepherd
Lesotho is a mountainous kingdom where herding sheep and goats remains an important livelihood. Osia is wrapped against the cold, as many shepherds in the highlands are, and his room holds little more than a bed, a rug and household containers.
Thies, Senegal, Fatou, 17-Year-Old Seamstress
Thiès is one of Senegal's largest cities, east of Dakar. Fatou's bed is covered with bright fabric, and garments are laid out around her, a clue to the work that fills her days. Tailoring is a common trade for young people across West Africa.
Nairobi, Kenya, Alice, 29-Year-Old Mother
In Kenya's capital, many families live in compact rented rooms where one space serves for sleeping, storage and more. Alice sits among patterned cloths and suitcases, with every corner put to use.
Durban, South Africa, Khetiwe, 22-Year-Old Unemployed
Khetiwe's room holds two beds, suggesting she shares it. Her caption is a reminder that unemployment among young South Africans is very high, a long-standing challenge for the country.
Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe, Ronia
Chitungwiza is a large town just outside Harare, home to many people who commute into the capital. Ronia sits on a striped bed in a plain room with a few bags and personal items.
The Middle East, Turkey and Egypt
Tehran, Iran, Elahe, 29-Year-Old Painter
Elahe's room is a statement: a round bed dressed in shining purple, matching walls and a large painted portrait propped against the wall. It is easy to guess that the artist chose every colour herself.
Teheran, Iran, Razieh
A second Tehran room offers a quieter contrast: pale walls, a flower-print bedspread, a patterned rug and a neatly arranged space. Two young women in the same city, two very different styles.
Istanbul, Turkey, Gulle
A large, detailed carpet takes centre stage here, framed by green walls and furniture around the edges. Carpets are both decoration and heritage in Turkish homes, often passed down or chosen with care.
Beirut, Lebanon, Sabrina, 27-Year-Old Kindergarten Teacher
Sabrina's room is simple and tidy, with a soft carpet, a quilted bedspread and built-in wardrobes. The calm order of the space is a contrast to many of the busier rooms in the series.
Saint Catherine, Egypt, Mohamed, 18-Year-Old Student Of Traditional Medicine
Saint Catherine is a small town in the mountains of South Sinai, near the famous monastery of the same name. Mohamed sits on striped rugs surrounded by jars and containers, fitting for someone learning traditional herbal remedies.
Cairo, Egypt, Azza, 19-Year-Old Homemaker
Azza, dressed in black, sits on a bed with an elaborately carved and painted wooden frame. Ornate, heavily decorated furniture like this is popular in many Egyptian homes, and it dominates the small room.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saleh, 30-Year-Old Human Resources Officer
Saleh, in a white thobe and red-checked headscarf, is surrounded by objects that show his loyalties: a blanket of the Riyadh football club Al Hilal, a Saudi flag on the wall and a prayer mat by the bed.
Asia and Siberia
Kathmandu, Nepal, Pema, 22-Year-Old Buddhism Student
Pema wears maroon robes and sits in a bright blue room with a painted Buddhist scroll hanging on the wall. Kathmandu is home to many monasteries, including communities of Tibetan Buddhist students.
Zhambyl, Kazakhstan, Zhalay, 18-Year-Old High School Student
The criss-cross wooden lattice around the edges reveals that this is a yurt, the round felt tent that has housed Central Asian nomads for centuries and is still used in parts of rural Kazakhstan.
Tokyo, Japan, Ryoko, 25-Year-Old Information Technology Engineer
Pink bedding, lace, a large bow in her hair and a rose-shaped rug: Ryoko's room reflects Japan's "kawaii" (cute) aesthetic. It is a reminder that a technical day job and a playful personal style can sit side by side.
Dali, China, Yuan, 22-Year-Old Salesperson
Dali, in Yunnan province, is the heartland of the Bai people, and Yuan's headdress appears to be in a traditional regional style. Foam floor mats and a bright pink bed add a modern touch.
Novosibirsk, Russia, Oleg, 24-Year-Old Telecom Engineer
Novosibirsk is the largest city in Siberia. Oleg sits shirtless next to dumbbells and boxing gear, with a red sofa, a computer desk and a Russian flag pinned to the wall.
Varanasi, India, Lalu
Varanasi, on the River Ganges, is one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities and a major pilgrimage site for Hindus. Lalu's room is sparse, with an earthen floor, a single mat and cooking pots stacked near the wall.
Ban Sai Ngam, Thailand, Fha
Fha sits in a wooden room with bulging sacks along the walls and a bed tucked into one corner. Her embroidered clothing suggests one of the hill communities of northern Thailand, though the caption does not say.
Madhya Pradesh, India, Asha, 17-Year-Old Homemaker
In central India, Asha stands on a patterned mat in a green-walled room, with a bundle of maize cobs hung up to dry. At 17, she is described as a homemaker, already responsible for running a household.
Europe
Paris, France, Joseph, 30-Year-Old Artist
Guitars, speakers, records, hats and stacks of paper fill every surface. Joseph's room is a working studio as much as a bedroom, typical of artists in a city where space is expensive.
Paris, France, Derek, 30-Year-Old Movie Director
Shelves of books and films tower around Derek, and the floor is covered with papers, discs and notes. It looks like a room where projects are always in progress.
Bucharest, Romania, Andreea, 24-Year-Old Civil Engineer
Andreea sits on a green sheet surrounded by papers and magazines on a parquet floor, with a desk and computer to one side. The mix of study materials and personal items fits the life of a young professional.
Berlin, Germany, Maja, 22-Year-Old Architecture Student
Maja's room has white shelves full of books, a chair, a desk and a few sketches scattered on the floor. Berlin's student flats are often shared, and a bedroom like this doubles as a study.
The Americas
La Paz, Bolivia, Marcello, 18-Year-Old High School Student
La Paz is one of the highest cities in the world, at roughly 3,600 metres. Marcello's room is a riot of colour: a rainbow blanket, a guitar and heaps of clothes and soft toys.
Kingston, Jamaica, Camille
Camille's space is filled with pink and floral touches, including bunches of decorative flowers and colourful handbags. She sits on a small rug between the bed and a dressing table.
Sibundoy, Colombia, Marixa, 21-Year-Old Teacher
The Sibundoy Valley in southern Colombia is home to the Kamëntšá and Inga Indigenous peoples. Marixa wears a bright blue garment and a woven hat in a wooden room, and the bedspread behind her is printed with bold designs.
New York, USA, Maleeq, 28-Year-Old Entertainer
Caps lined up on a table, piles of clothes and a pair of sunglasses: Maleeq's room looks like a backstage wardrobe. For performers, image is part of the job, and it shows.
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, Claudio, 24-Year-Old Archivist
Claudio is buried in red and black, the colours of Flamengo, one of Brazil's best-supported football clubs. Flags, shirts and scarves cover almost every surface, turning his room into a shrine to the team.
What these rooms tell us
Seen together, the photos make a few things clear. Space is one of the starkest signs of inequality: some subjects have a bed, a desk, shelves and a computer, while others share one room with cooking pots, sacks of grain and the rest of their family's belongings. Faith and identity show up everywhere, in prayer mats, flags, scrolls and traditional clothing. And passions cross borders easily: guitars in Paris and La Paz, football in Riyadh and Rio.
The series is also a gentle reminder that "normal" depends on where you are standing. A room that looks bare to one viewer may be comfortable and complete to the person who lives in it, and a room that looks cluttered may be full of meaning. If you enjoyed these, Thackwray's project site has more portraits and details of the book and exhibitions.
Sources: Photos by John Thackwray, My Room project | My Room: about the photographer
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