ABSTRACT
In June 2012 the Parisian gallery La Petite Poule Noire presented an installation entitled Belleville Bazaar. After presenting initial results in academic contexts, chose to curate Belleville Bazaar in a commercial gallery. The show occupied two floors, with Liz Hingley's UK photograph series Under Gods exhibited on the ground-floor and Belleville Bazaar installed in the basement. Both works highlight the transformation of urban space through migrant religious practices; the photos of Birmingham showed this occurring through the alteration of the city's buildings and private spaces of the home, whereas the installation focused on the shop front as an emerging vitrine of religious identity. Over several workshops, introduced them to research, to local religious entrepreneurs and showed them the gallery space. Handwritten on fluorescent yellow price-signs, captured the trader's motivations and demonstrated their balance of spiritual and commercial interests. Traders often supply religious goods and spiritual counsel in equal measure.
