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Beyond What is Written: photographs of non-believers in the Bible Belt of Tennessee

"There is a strong divide between the conservative and liberal Christians in Tennessee, but the non-religious community is so small that it is completely overlooked," remarked Tad Beaty from the Chattanooga Humanist Assembly.

Written By:
Via Creative Boom submission. All images courtesy of the artist.

Via Creative Boom submission. All images courtesy of the artist.

It was this quote that formed the basis of British photographer Harry Flook's latest series, Beyond What Is Written.

Spending a month meeting and photographing non-religious communities in Tennessee, the heart of America's "Bible Belt", Harry's images explore the presence of religious imagery and rhetoric in notions of the American Dream, and the portraits picture a relationship defined by shared absence from religion.

"The project is about the loss and regaining of community and the changing religious landscape in America," says Harry, a graduate of the University of the West of England. "My photographic work explores subjects borne out of my own experience, a personal investment that has taken my projects in various directions. Leaving religion was the starting point for my most recent work."

Based in Bristol, Harry is a photographer and writer as well as online editor for Loupe magazine. You can find out more at harryflook.com or follow him on Instagram @harryflook.

Historic brick church building with white columns and a tall tower, surrounded by modern high-rise buildings, on a city street with traffic lights and pedestrians
St Mary's bookstore storefront advertising Christian books, gifts and church supplies, with parked cars in front, part of Harry Flook's Beyond What Is Written series documenting non-religious communities in Tennessee's Bible Belt
Man relaxing in a brown leather recliner on a porch outside a house, wearing sunglasses and a dark t-shirt, from Harry Flook's Beyond What Is Written series
Wooden crosses planted in grass in front of a white neoclassical church building with columns and stained glass windows
Brick church building with white dome and classical columns on a street corner in Tennessee
Empty street intersection with traffic lights and a single parked car outside a low-rise commercial building in Tennessee
Mid-State Building façade with white cross symbol and large billboard displaying hands with text "Nothing Shall Be Impossible
Man wearing white t-shirt with "Knoxville Atheists" text printed on chest, standing in profile in a bright interior space
Suburban brick house with grey tiled roof and multiple gables, set on a quiet residential street in Tennessee
Clarksville Atheists banner and Nashville Nones convention signage displayed above a Fort Campbell table at an indoor community event venue
Modern tan brick church building with a tall white spire, featuring geometric window patterns and a curved architectural element, set against a clear sky with sparse landscaping
A roadside church sign for Bethlehem Church of Christ in rural Tennessee, with the message "Will those who are saved be few?" displayed beneath bare trees and power lines
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