Early in our history, an American pundit observed that in France, there are 350 kinds of cheese and one religion, and that in the United States, there is one kind of cheese and 350 religions. In fact, there is close to 1000 religious groups (and growing), all seeking to discover and explain the source and meaning of life.
An incredible diversity of religion has shaped and continues to define the mosaic-like culture of Houston. This work attempts to represent the geographical, denominational, and ethnic multiplicity of belief systems in the greater Houston area through the medium of still photography. Although these photographs are visual anthropological documents that describe particular aspects of ritual and ceremony, communion, and fellowship, they are not to be considered products of purely objective investigation.
These images represent the preliminary stages of ethnographic research; they are visual field notes, much like a written journal-a sketchbook of first impressions and queries. They are the products of initial inquiry of individual and collective worship, spiritual environment, physical space, and material objects of devotion. My intent is for these visual descriptions of culture to refine and advance future investigation of religious diversity, thereby developing a comprehensive study that culminates in a coherent and socially relevant anthropological document. This series therefore suggests a work in progress.
Photographing human interaction requires personal participation, thus rendering images that reflect the photographer's sensibilities, whether artistic, scientific, or humanistic. Indeed, the viewer will approach these photographs with his or her own cultural baggage, engaging each picture at multiple levels-emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. With these images I endeavor to connect with the viewer, to elucidate moments I glimpsed in the sanctity of the church, the temple, the mosque, or other spiritual space.
This visual project is experimental in that it challenges traditional anthropological notions of data collection and organization. The conventional method emphasizes the written word, thereby striving to concretize particular concepts and ideas. The utilization of photographs as principal ethnographic data, on the other hand, is a technique of recording and collecting information that employs visual language. Through this qualitative method, photography evokes the nuances of culture and allows the viewer to consider cultural questions unfettered by the descriptive and culturally weighted nature of words. The still photograph is not static. Unlike the moving image (film or video), it "stares back," enticing the viewer to return, to contemplate, to discover. Accordingly, these photographs have no captions, only titles naming the place of worship.
As anthropologist and photographer, my intent in producing this portfolio is to examine how religion informs culture, to provoke thoughtful interfaith dialogue at the personal and public levels, and to visually express my interest in the purpose and structure of religious life.
Leslie Plaza Johnson
February 2000
This project represents a collaborative effort between the leaders and congregants of various religious spaces and me. They welcomed me into their sanctuaries and graciously allowed me to photograph them during their time of worship and meditation. My special thanks to Father Carl Tenhunbfeld, All Saints Catholic Church, Reverend Robert Morrison Fuller, Christian and Missionary Alliance Church; Bob Schaibly, First Unitarian Universalist Church, Nathaniel Bobbit and Ajit Giani, Houston Bahá'í Center; Sam Herren and Dave Brooks, Irmin's Way-Kindred of Asatrú; Hadi Elmi, Islamic Education Center; Venerable Hung I, Venerable Jan Hai, and Reverend Shiang Pei, Jade Buddha Temple; James Spencer, Lakewood Church; Reverend Carolyn Mobely, Metropolitan Community Church of the Resurrection; Imam Mamdarh M. Mahmoud, and Tasneem and Randi Abbasi, Southeast Zone-Masjid I.S.G.H.; Dr. James Harding and Louise Frank, South Wind Baptist Church; Sri P.Ramalingm, Sri Meenakshi Devasthanam Temple; Father John J. Mihalco, St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Church; Father Lubomir Kupec, St. Vladimir's Eastern Orthodox Church; Glen Reed, Yellowstone Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses; Rabbi Yehoshua Wender, Young Israel of Houston, and Hoshang T. Sethna, Zoroastrian Association of Houston.
I would also like to thank Nick DeVries, Professor of Fine Arts, Van Edwards, Lecturer of Photography, Dr.Christine Kovic, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, and Dr. Mike McMullen, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Houston-Clear Lake; Dr. Douglas Holmes, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; and Basilios Poulos, Professor of Art, Rice University, for their tireless encouragement and support of this project.