For the 2014 edition of our publication Tate Modern and You, photographer Chloe Dewe Mathews captured some of the many black majority churches that are based in Southwark, including Liberty House in Camberwell. She worked in particular with those that have created new spaces for worship in buildings that were once factories, warehouses and bingo halls. She explored and observed church life, the distinctive type of worship and the architectural spaces that have been reinvented.
According to recent research conducted by Roehampton University, there are over 240 Black Majority Churches in Southwark – this is arguably the greatest concentration of African Christianity in the world – outside of Africa. More than just places of worship, these spaces are often an anchor to the Southwark community which they serve, offering advice on everything, including health, relationships, law and order. Chloe is interested in how this growing phenomenon can enrich the character of the area.
To accompany the publication there will be an exhibition of the photographs in the McAulay Gallery and Clore Corridor, and a short film documenting the project will be screened in the McAulay Screening Room.
