Jennifer Dickson

The Credo Project is a series of photographs by Jennifer Dickson that illustrate architectural spaces of the three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Dickson captured the images during travels to the U.K., Cyprus, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and Morocco between 1979 and 2008, and has been editing them for over a decade. By grouping the works in triptychs, Dickson encourages comparison between sacred spaces that span diverse geographies and histories. We see how these buildings, marked by interwoven periods of political and religious peace and turmoil, bear the passage of time. From an intimate detail of decorative tilework to the beholding of a massive dome, Dickson’s record of these remarkable architectural elements, imbued with layers of transformation and cultural hybridity, reveals the triumph of beauty over desecration.

Jennifer Dickson: The Credo Project, installation view, Ottawa Art Gallery, 2020. Photo: Justin Wonnacott