1Place camera in front of face2Shake face or prrr it3Send us the picture
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About Shakeskin
A time capsule from the flash-photo years
Shakeskin started in 2004. For a year or two before that, my friends and I in Reykjavík had been shaking our faces at each other's cameras, and at some point we thought everyone else should try it.
It was a different internet (no smartphones, no YouTube, and Facebook still only for college students). But everyone had a digital camera with a flash, and over a thousand people from more than forty countries shook their faces and sent them to us.
More than twenty years later, I've dug it all out of old backups and web archives. Most of it survived. Halli
Original About text · 2004
Left as we wrote it, apart from a typo or two. We were young.
About www.shakeskin.com
Shakeskin.com started out as an idea one or two years ago when Halli, Ingvi, Oli Té and their friends were taking pictures of each other shaking their heads like crazy. Halli came up with the idea of putting up a website just with photos like this, and that people should be able to upload their own photos. Halli talked to Ingvi and Oli Té and asked them to help him out.
The three of them started working on this like mad men, but somehow lost interest (and were too busy with work) until October 1st, 2004, when they finally opened the website for all of you to see, feel and shake well or prrr like a horse.
Halli
C.E.O. Mastermind and the one that is everything.
Ingvi
Technological Advance Supplier and the one who has to listen to Oli.
Oli Té
Web Project Manager and the one that has to listen to Halli all the time.
Are you in here?
If you find yourself and want to update your details or have your photo removed, use “Is this you?” under your picture. And if you're happy to be here: thanks for shaking.
FAQ
What is Shakeskin?Shakeskin is a gallery of shaken faces.
How do I make one?Start by loosening up your muscles. Then use one of two techniques. To Prrr you hold your lips together and say "prrrr", just like a horse on a sweet summer day. To Shake it you just shake your face from side to side and let those cheeks fly free. Sometimes you drool, but that's perfectly normal.
How do I take the picture?Just ask anyone to take it for you, even someone you don't know. Then shake, shake, shake it. Sometimes, using flash can be better.
Does it hurt?After a couple of hard shakes you can indeed feel a bit dizzy or drowsy. If so, just wait for a minute, then start again.
Who invented superglue?Superglue or Krazy Glue was discovered by Dr. Harry Coover.
How far away is the sun?It's about 149.6 million km (93 million miles).
What kind of wood would you recommend for roasting marshmallows?Beech or ash, no doubt!
Is Walt Disney's body really frozen?Nope.
Who made this
I'm Halli Civelek, a designer and illustrator from Iceland. Around the same time as Shakeskin I had a personal site called I Come From Reykjavík, and a blog about Italo disco called kontrapunkt.
The original how-to, 2004. Still the best instructions we have.
Rescued from the archive
Recovered from the Wayback Machine in October 2026. Years next to ages are estimated from when the archive first recorded each photo and its place in the old gallery, so a photo marked 2005 may be from late 2004.
“Share image…” opens your phone's share menu, where you can pick Instagram, Messages and more.
Hey, is this you?
You sent this in around 2004, and it's been part of the Shakeskin archive ever since. Over 1,000 people shook their faces for this collection, and yours is one of them.
If you're happy to stay, you don't need to do anything. ♥
