Side by Side
Above almost every city, town or neighborhood in the Southeastern United States, church steeples pierce above the often featureless and amorphous cityscapes. Beyond being makers of faith, churches are nuclei from which community radiates. Yet, they are also places of power and identity.
I’m drawn to churches because of their architecture and role in the community. The great irony of religion is that it is as inclusive as it is exclusive. In order to belong to any religion, an individual is required to meet certain conditions. Religious involvement can often cement one's place in this community because it can exclude others.
I initially set out to photograph churches but quickly realized that the areas around them are far more revealing. Clues of the reality created by socioeconomic, political and religious factors are everywhere. This body of work focuses on how these details symbolically mirror the complexity between faith, power and community.
