AN EXHIBITION of photographs by Christopher Roche, Devotion, is on display at the h Club in Covent Garden, London, until Sunday. The exhibition is the result of a five-year project to record spiritual practices around the world.
Mr Roche writes: “Over the years I photographed both the intimate and epic nature of several faith traditions: private moments of prayer and meditation alongside monumental scenes with thousands of pilgrims in dramatic landscapes.
“I saw commonalities that transcend faith and frontiers — the use of prayer beads, the practice of pilgrimage, and the devotion to shrines to name a few, and, of course, just as many differences, but all these outward observations appeared to me to conceal a deeper truth.
“Across borders and amidst scenes of deep devotion I encountered poverty, superstition and repression. I saw, as is the case in most religions, women excluded from the privileged domains of men. However, I also experienced the beauty of the human spirit and a shared desire to connect to something greater than our self.”