ArtWay: Photographing Religious Practice

My latest article for ArtWay is entitled Photographing Religious Practice and discusses the increasing prevalence of photographic series and books exploring aspects of religious practice:

"Gorick’s discoveries provided her with a completely different perspective on the City of London and her hope now is that her photographs will inspire others to push open church doors and explore their spiritual nuances.

Similarly with the work of Mandle, Polidori and Tomlinson, where the beauty of their photographs, encourages us to go beyond their images by entering the history, tradition and reality of peaceful prayerfulness to which they connect."

I have previously written about Niki Gorick here, S. Billie Mandle here, Alys Tomlinson here, 

Markéta Luskacová here, and Robert Polidori here.

My Church of the Month reports for ArtWay are: Aylesford Priory, Canterbury Cathedral, Chapel of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, Hem, Chelmsford Cathedral, Churches in Little Walsingham, Coventry Cathedral, Église de Saint-Paul à Grange-Canal, Eton College Chapel, Lumen, Metz Cathedral, Notre Dame du Léman, Notre-Dame de Toute Grâce, Plateau d’Assy,Romont, Sint Martinuskerk Latem, St Aidan of Lindisfarne, St Alban Romford, St. Andrew Bobola Polish RC Church, St. Margaret’s Church, Ditchling, and Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, St Mary the Virgin, Downe, St Michael and All Angels Berwick, and St Paul Goodmayes, as well as earlier reports of visits to sites associated with Marian Bohusz-Szyszko, Marc Chagall, Jean Cocteau, Antoni Gaudi and Henri Matisse.

My visual meditations for ArtWay include work by María Inés Aguirre, Giampaolo Babetto, Marian Bohusz-Szyszko, Alexander de Cadenet, Christopher Clack, Marlene Dumas, Terry Ffyffe, Antoni Gaudi, Nicola Green, Maciej Hoffman, Lakwena Maciver, S. Billie Mandle, Giacomo Manzù, Michael Pendry, Maurice Novarina, Regan O'Callaghan, Ana Maria Pacheco, John Piper, Nicola Ravenscroft, Albert Servaes, Henry Shelton, Anna Sikorska and Edmund de Waal.

Interviews for ArtWay include: Sophie Hacker and Peter Koenig. I also interviewed ArtWay founder Marleen Hengelaar Rookmaaker for Artlyst.

I have also reviewed: Art and the Church: A Fractious Embrace, Kempe: The Life, Art and Legacy of Charles Eamer Kempe, and Jazz, Blues, and Spirituals.

Other of my writings for ArtWay can be found here. My pieces for Church Times can be found here, those for Artlyst here, and those for Art+Christianity are here.

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Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus - Bright Field.

Review: Faith in the City of London

My latest review for Church Times is of Niki Gorick’s book 'Faith in the City of London' and her open air exhibition currently in Paternoster Square, London EC4, from 3 October to 28 October, before transferring to Aldgate Square, Aldgate High Street, London EC3, for its run from 29 October to 26 November:

'Her images reveal that faith is alive and well in the City of London; just as is also the case across the UK. In essence, her project could be repeated within parishes up and down this country, as it is based on recording the many and varied forms of engagement between churches and their local communities ...

Gorick’s book and exhibition are valuable not just for the excellence of her imagery and the interest of the events recorded, but as a challenge to the way in which the Church communicates with the wider world through the media.

If the true breadth of its life and engagement were to be shared as Gorick has done for the City of London, then counteracting the common view of the Church, providing reminders that faith is an important part of life, and encouraging people to push open church doors and explore our spiritual nuances might all be seen and valued.'

Other of my pieces for Church Times can be found here.

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Franz Liszt - Rapsodie.

Niki Gorick: Religion in the City (3)

Niki Gorick's aim in her ‘Religion in The City’ photo-project is to capture as much as possible of the spiritual life of The City and the day-to-day work of its clergy

Niki is a UK fine art photographer specialising in black & white images of London. She wants to find out what’s going on with religion in The City of London? How do these historical beauties survive today? Are they still a spiritual force? How do they work as non-parish churches without resident congregations? And how do they relate to the financially-obsessed community surrounding them? What exactly is the contemporary clergy up to?

Niki says, "Already, in my new ‘Religion in The City’ photo-project, I’ve come across a diversity I never expected — pop-up art exhibitions, huge wet fish displays for Harvest Festival, a Chinese choir rehearsing, high-calibre debate about policing in Britain today, jazz bands leading congregations into hidden gardens to eat jerk chicken … all I can say is that modern-day ministering appears to be both thriving and full of surprises.

The latest photographs in the series which Niki has taken at St Stephen Walbrook were of the Service of Thanksgiving for the Lord Mayor of London and his work with the City Livery Companies and Ward Clubs which we hosted in July and the 'Women in the City' networking event organised by Sally Muggeridge. Niki said that both were very special and fascinating occasions to capture for the project. Here are a sample of her images:

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Charles Villiers Stanford - Te Deum in C.

Niki Gorick: Religion in the City

Niki Gorick's aim in her ‘Religion in The City’ photo-project is to capture as much as possible of the spiritual life of The City and the day-to-day work of its clergy

Niki is a UK fine art photographer specialising in black & white images of London. She wants to find out what’s going on with religion in The City of London? How do these historical beauties survive today? Are they still a spiritual force? How do they work as non-parish churches without resident congregations? And how do they relate to the financially-obsessed community surrounding them? What exactly is the contemporary clergy up to?

Niki says, "Already, in my new ‘Religion in The City’ photo-project, I’ve come across a diversity I never expected — pop-up art exhibitions, huge wet fish displays for Harvest Festival, a Chinese choir rehearsing, high-calibre debate about policing in Britain today, jazz bands leading congregations into hidden gardens to eat jerk chicken … all I can say is that modern-day ministering appears to be both thriving and full of surprises.

Niki recently photographed the investiture of a new knight by the Grand Priory of England of the Knights Templar at St Stephen Walbrook. Here are a sample of her images:

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Alexander Skrjabin: Le poème de l'extase.

Niki Gorick: Religion in the City

Niki Gorick is a UK fine art photographer specialising in black & white images of London. She aims to capture the true character of the city, from its famous landmarks to its vibrant street-life. Her current photo-project is entitled 'Religion in the City' and, as part of this project, she photographed the Thanksgiving Service held at St Stephen Walbrook on Wednesday evening for the Lord Mayor of London.

Niki writes:

'What’s going on with religion in The City of London? Intrigued by the extraordinary concentration of Wren churches and other places of worship in The Square Mile, I decided to find out. How do these historical beauties survive today? Are they still a spiritual force? How do they work as non-parish churches without resident congregations? And how do they relate to the financially-obsessed community surrounding them? What exactly is the contemporary clergy up to?

Quite a lot, as it turns out. Already, in my new ‘Religion in The City’ photo-project, I’ve come across a diversity I never expected — pop-up art exhibitions, huge wet fish displays for Harvest Festival, a Chinese choir rehearsing, high-calibre debate about policing in Britain today, jazz bands leading congregations into hidden gardens to eat jerk chicken…

Over the next year or so, my aim is to capture as much as possible of the spiritual life of The City and the day-to-day work of its clergy – so far, all I can say is that modern-day ministering appears to be both thriving and full of surprises.'

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John Stainer - God So Loved The World.