Religion Road: Liz Hingley’s Under Gods

4 minute read

For photographer Liz Hingley, one of the most familiar locales was also one of the most uncharted. The images in her series “Under Gods” capture cultures from all parts of the globe, many in various states of religious practice. In one, a Jainist woman prays while wearing a mask over her mouth, preventing her from inadvertently breathing any microbes or insects in, which would go against her religion’s non-violent beliefs. Another photograph shows three Catholic children, Polish immigrants, rehearsing carols. In another, a Hare Krishna trudges uphill, through the snow, to distribute books. Each photograph seemingly shows a different world, yet all of the images were shot along a single stretch of road in Birmingham, U.K.

Crammed along a two-mile stretch on Soho Road are more than 30 religious buildings in a city that is home to more than 90 different nationalities. Hingley grew up in Birmingham so she had personal knowledge of the religious diversity that existed in her hometown, which she was often reminded of whenever she returned. “I was going back to Birmingham and seeing this celebration among all this diversity and I thought that this was something that I wanted to look at,” Hingley, the daughter of two Anglican priests, told TIME. And look she did, spending nearly two years capturing the practices and interactions of this multi-faith community. The result is the Under Gods: Stories From Soho Road series, which has been shown around the world and made into a book.

Though she was familiar with the area, having lived in Birmingham until she was 18, Hingley said she was caught off guard by the religious mélange the community held. “I had no idea that there were so many different religions and practices going on in just one street,” she said.

It was a lot to document. A day of shooting could start as early as 5 a.m. meeting Hare Krishnas who gathered to chant, before she’d attend a lunch at the Vietnamese Buddhist temple and then move on to the park with members of the Jesus Army, an evangelical Christian movement. “It was a very difficult project to finish [each evening] because you’re tired at the end of the day and you think, oh, I’ll just see what that building is,” said Hingley, who describes herself as “nosy.”

That nosiness clearly paid off, however, as she captured some wonderfully intimate moments. Several photographs show the ways in which the different cultures overlap in the small community, as their paths frequently intersected. One photograph shows a young Muslim girl, cloaked in Islamic dress, speaking over the fence in her backyard to her Jehovah witness neighbors. Another shows a Jain schoolgirl, sitting on the floor reading in front of an Indian sitar while beside her poses another girl, her neighbor, in white ruffled Holy Communion dress.

For all of the stark contrasts that appear in the work, there’s also a sense of ease to the images. Soho Road — which enfolds people of the Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Jain, Christian and Sikh faiths — appears as a cultural mosaic, with each set of traditions represented as a distinct part of the community’s whole. Hingley said that the work has inspired her to continue the series in Paris, where she’s just completed a show with Next Level projects, adding that she’s interested in the experiences of religion in the secular state. She’s also quick to point out that her series isn’t about dogmatic beliefs, but rather how beliefs pervade people’s lives. She claims that Stories From Soho Road was personal for her—a look at her own journey living in Birmingham.

“I don’t feel that it’s documenting religion or just that. I feel it’s about many things. Religion is definitely a part of your daily life. It’s everything,” she said. “I wanted to show what it gives people and the beauty it can bring to people’s lives.”

Liz Hingley is a photographer currently based in Paris. See more of her work here.

Megan Gibson is a Writer-Reporter at the London bureau of TIME. Find her on Twitter at @MeganJGibson.

A priest's daughter dresses in her father's cassock-alb, traditional priestly vestments.Liz Hingley
The Hindu owners of the Sweet center, one of the many sweet shops on Soho Road, are Bollywood fans. Posters of Indian film and music stars are draped around the shop alongside Hindu statues.Liz Hingley
The bed of one of six Buddhist monks. His bodhi leaf-shaped fan is used as a focal point when chanting. The Sri Lankan Buddhist temple has devotees who visit from more than 100 miles away.Liz Hingley
The majority of Polish immigrants move to Soho Road area when they first arrive in Birmingham because of the cheap rent. The Polish community shows incredible devotion to Catholicism and their traditional religious practices. Liz Hingley
The Jesus Army evangelical Christians have a large community house two doors away from the Thai Buddhist temple. In recent years a large number of immigrant Iranian Christian converts have joined the fellowship attracted by the social aspect. Liz Hingley
A teenage schoolgirl seen in her home, which is full with Catholic and Islamic items. Her Irish Catholic Mother and Bengali Muslim father have influenced her to practice both religions at different points in her life.Liz Hingley
'Preacher' stands in the kitchen of the Thai Buddhist temple she established close to Soho Road in the 1970s. She owned the first Thai restaurant in Birmingham before she became a Buddhist nun, purchased the temple and brought monks over from Thailand. Liz Hingley
Mrs. Little's relative in America sent a series of audiotapes containing the full King James version of the Bible. Liz Hingley
Marwhen stops to pray during a walk around the local Reservoir. She trained in London as a dentist but recently moved to Birmingham after she found it difficult to find any London dentist office that would allow her to wear the hijab at work.Liz Hingley
Hare Krishna book distribution.Liz Hingley
Alka Jain prays outside her home prayer room. She is in her menstruation period; at this time a woman is seen as unclean and prohibited from entering holy places. Liz Hingley
A Muslim family of three children in the backyard at home. Their Islamic dress is only worn for the daily mosque class they attend after school. Liz Hingley
Two young girls from different religious backgrounds play together. The Jain girl takes Indian Sitar lessons in her British school. Liz Hingley
Old age and poor health means Mrs. Little is no longer able to attend her church of St. Andrews on Soho Road. The Anglican priest celebrates communion in her front room every week with friends from the church.Liz Hingley
Jamaican-born Mrs. Adina Clarke and her daughter review her hat collection before church. In Jamaican tradition Adina keeps a separate part of her wardrobe for her Sunday clothes and refrains from wearing them for any occasion other than church. Liz Hingley
Once a year, representatives of Birmingham's Buddhists, Christians, Jews, Jains, Muslims and Sikhs gather for dinner in Birmingham Town Hall. The quick and formal meal displays differing dietary requirements.Liz Hingley

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