Houses of the Holy: The Churches of New London

40 photos

Victor Filepp explores his environs through the camera and in the digital darkroom. In this exhibit, he focuses his lens on the houses of worship in New London, CT where he resides. Major photography began in the Spring of 2020 as the pandemic closed everything down and many were self-isolating. He decided to explore his city – and specifically to document each house of worship that he found.

Houses of the Holy includes photographs of the exteriors of forty churches and synagogues within the city limits. The collection engages the eye with monochromatic images that examine the physical structures, architecture, and light and dark patterns of the church facades.

The works consider the devotion engendered by religion that has inspired beauty in architecture and ornament. Through the project, he reflects on concerns voiced by Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and James Baldwin about the interiors of churches and the divides that sometimes exist between faiths and races.

We can accept, even embrace, houses of worship and their architecture and icons. When will we all do the same for all the people inside the churches? Observing the wealth of diversity of this city and in the nation, Filepp hopes that this exhibit of the beauty and complexity of the exteriors will lead us all to examine our own interiors.