Kaleidoscope Feature · Booker Skelding

Booker Skelding

Finding My Religion

This project began with the title Losing My Religion, however during the four years of its development, the project took an unexpected turn and the title Finding My Religion became more appropriate. The work was born from a need to document this loss of religion for the purpose of exploring the difficulties faced when one does not conform to the traditional ‘religious’ lifestyle.

Yet another church closure in a small Welsh mining community prompted the

beginning of what was a painful journey. At the age of twenty, I experienced rejection from my church and its parishioners, resulting in deep feelings of shame, over the realization of my LGBTQ+ status. The images narrate this emotional experience of abandonment and loss with the intention to help others who have experienced the same ostracization. This is also a journey of hope.