A Snapshot of Ourselves in Our Pockets and Purses

Francois Robert's series "Contents" gives us a literal "snapshot" of who we are by the contents of our pockets or purses.

Check out some more from this series here.

Photographer Francois Robert asked family, friends, and total strangers to participate in this project by displaying the contents of their pockets or purses on a sheet of paper. No one was given forewarning and they were all given the option to edit and take out what they wished. Very few edited the contents for display and only one out of 120 people declined.

This is a very interesting social experiment; you would think that the majority of women especially, would opt not to show their private belongings, much less have them photographed. As a woman, the things in our purses are very private and personal. But, being creatively inclined, after a second thought, I personally would probably go ahead and display my "Contents".

Another idea comes to mind: 15 minutes of fame. Although one might be hesitant to participate in this project, the prospect of being on film, dwarfs almost any embarrassing outcome. In the end, this project is intriguing to me most of all because it explores these juxtaposing social ideas and interactions. Plus it gives a voyeuristic peak into people's identities that is humorous and even perplexing.