In 2014, just before I left for a trip to Istanbul, a painter friend of mine asked me to “go to the Hagia Sophia and take pictures of pretty little details you can’t see in books.” There are many amazing photographs of the grand facade of the Hagia Sophia, but what about the window grates? Her request became the inspiration for this series.

Throughout history and across the world, people have tried to connect to something greater by creating sacred spaces. Although they vary in size, color, composition, or character, they share a common purpose: connecting the individual to the eternal.

This collection of images aims to show how people have hoped to achieve this connection. My photographs draw attention to the details of the care that goes into creating and maintaining a sacred space. This series spans across religions and geographic locations. With so much division in the world, I wanted to produce work that highlights the similarities.

A selection of images from Sacred Spaces was exhibited in Chiang Mai as part of F/28 Chiang Mai Month of Photography. This is an ongoing project.

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Pha That Luang
Vientiane, Laos
January 2016

Abandoned Church
Belfast, Northern Ireland
September 2016

Wat Tham Pha Plong
Chiang Dao, Thailand
February 2016

This photograph is particularly important to me because the Hagia Sophia is again under renovation. Everyone else was trying to get pretty pictures of the architecture that block out the scaffolding. Instead of strategically cutting it out of view, here I made it the focus in order to emphasise the long history and the many transformations through which the Hagia Sophia has gone.

Hagia Sophia
Istanbul, Turkey
August 2014

Selimiye Mosque
Nicosia, Cyprus
November 2018

Saint Colmcille's Well
County Donegal, Ireland
April 2016

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
Chiang Mai, Thailand
January 2016

Shwedagon Pagoda
Yangon, Myanmar
March 2016

St Patrick's Catholic Church
Belfast, Northern Ireland
August 2016