Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.
Fix My PC Now →Free scan · no reinstall
ThatPainter is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Face Your Pockets was a participatory photography project documented in 2007 and associated with Timur Akhmetov and Yulia Yakushova. Participants placed their face and the contents of their pockets, wallet or bag together on a scanner, making a single portrait that treated everyday possessions as part of a self-portrait. The objects invite interpretation, but the project was an artistic prompt—not a scientifically validated way to diagnose personality.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
What the project was
Contemporary reports describe Face Your Pockets as a mass photo project by Timur Akhmetov and Yulia Yakushova. Instead of making a conventional headshot, each participant arranged a portion of their face beside the things they carried during the day and captured both in one scan.
#1 Best Overall
The result joined a recognizable person to a small inventory of daily life: keys, cards, tools, receipts, cosmetics or whatever happened to be in a pocket, wallet or handbag. A December 2007 account summarized the idea as scanning yourself with the things you carried around all day.
The project’s wording, reproduced by MetaFilter in December 2007, described its goal as: “Our goal is to not only bring all these objects into light but show the owner of them.” That sentence is preserved as project wording; the discussion page does not identify a particular speaker.
How participants made an image
The documented setup
- Empty a pocket, wallet or bag and choose the objects to show.
- Arrange those objects on a scanner alongside part of your face.
- Make one scan so the face and possessions share the same frame.
- Contemporary coverage says contributors submitted the resulting image by email.
The historical reports do not name a scanner model, resolution, software, lighting arrangement or other technical specification. A flatbed scanner is therefore a reasonable category-level tool for a modern recreation, not a documented brand or requirement.
The eyes-closed instruction
A December 2007 MetaFilter post repeats an instruction to keep your eyes closed while scanning. That is an old project direction preserved in contemporary coverage, not a current safety endorsement or a verified instruction from the original site. The original site and its present guidance have not been verified.
Why ordinary objects can feel revealing
A pocket inventory is selective. It shows what someone chose to carry and what they chose to put in the frame, not an objective map of their inner life. A transit card may suggest a routine; a worn tool may point to work or a hobby; a photograph or note may carry personal meaning. Those readings belong to the viewer and participant, rather than to a validated psychological test.
A 2024 school photography resource interprets Yakushova’s scanned images as a way objects can indicate what matters to an owner. That is an educational reading of the work. It supports discussing symbolism and self-presentation, not claiming that the contents of a bag reliably measure character, identity or mental state.
What is known about its historical reach
Trend Hunter’s June 26, 2007 report said that 130 photos had been posted at that time. The figure is a dated snapshot, not a final or current gallery total. No reliable current count has been established.
Recommended Free Tools
A later retrospective said the original page had disappeared by the time of writing and noted surviving Facebook and Flickr pages then. That report does not establish that those pages, the original email address, a gallery or any submission process are still active. Treat reposted images and instructions as historical material, and check rights before downloading, republishing or adapting someone else’s photograph.
Making a contemporary response
Plan the meaning before the arrangement
Decide whether the image should document a routine, mark a transition or tell a small story. Select objects that you are comfortable showing publicly; a wallet, medication, address label or work badge can expose private information. Remove identifying details when necessary.
Keep the composition legible
Separate objects so their outlines do not merge, and decide whether the face or the possessions should dominate the frame. Because the project’s historical descriptions do not specify equipment settings, there is no evidence-based “correct” resolution or layout to reproduce.
Credit the historical source of the idea
If you publish a new version, identify it as a contemporary response to the 2007 project associated with Akhmetov and Yakushova. Do not imply that the original creators commissioned, approved or currently host the new work.
Related projects and the wider idea of carried things
A 2015 retrospective places Face Your Pockets within a broader interest in what personal belongings can communicate. It names George Legrady’s Pockets Full of Memories, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Please Empty Your Pockets and Jason Travis’s What’s in Your Bag? as related examples.
These works should be treated as contextual neighbors, not interchangeable projects. They differ in what personal material is shown, how the image or installation is made, and whether participation is individual or collective. The common thread is the artistic use of carried objects as evidence of routine, memory or self-presentation.
What the title gets right—and what it cannot prove
Face Your Pockets makes a compelling visual argument: the things we carry can become part of how we picture ourselves. Its “inner you” is an invitation to look, arrange and interpret, not a scientific conclusion extracted from a bag. The project remains most useful as a prompt for self-portraiture, privacy choices and discussion about how possessions acquire meaning.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
