Devotion is a photographic journey that explores the culture and rituals of different peoples’ faith traditions across the world. From the Buddhist monasteries of Tibet to the rock hewn churches of Ethiopia; from the Sufi shrines of Iran to the burning Ghats of India, the project captures both the intimate and epic nature of varied spiritual practices. The photographer, Christopher Roche, hopes to capture the common humanity, rather than the dogma, behind these traditions and in some small way encourage curiosity, understanding and tolerance of differing beliefs. It is the photographer’s experience that many of the ancient devotional traditions that have been central to the culture of these regions for hundreds if not thousands of years are now under threat from the forces of globalization, mass tourism, political oppression and even global warming. This photographic project hopes be a testament to the importance of these traditions.
