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Religion, art and creativity in the global city

At the mention of the theme of religion, art and creativity, one might think about splendid houses of worship, artfully decorated manuscripts of sacred texts, beautifully crafted artefacts like altars, statues and icons or small intricately worked Torah pointers or elaborately carved Qur’an reading stands. Monumental churches, mosques, synagogues, Hindu or Buddhist temples, religious shrines and other spiritual sites often include impressive art work. Museum shelves are crowded with remarkable artefacts originating all over the world and representing millennia of faith-inspired creativity. Diverse genres of spiritual music are praised for their beauty. Without doubt, incredible artwork and beauty can be found in famous sites of worship, international museums, concert halls and venues of spiritual music. But, is the intersection of religion, art and creativity limited to iconic houses of worship, museums and spiritual artefacts (largely of the past)? The question emerges of what kinds of religious art and artefacts are produced today? What are contemporary manifestations of spiritual creativity? What examples of faith-inspired arts can be found among the ordinary urbanites and faith communities in cities across the globe? This special issue explores a broad range of questions about contemporary faith-based art, creativity and expressive life. It takes readers to more unlikely places that are situated beyond the beaten path of famous houses of worship and dominant art worlds to witness and explore complex interactions between religion, art and creativity in global or globalising cities. The six authors in this issue introduce ordinary and often invisible urban faith-inspired spaces and lifeworlds. They explore informal or vernacular arts, expressive cultures and creativity in ‘unexpected places’ (Wali, Severson, and Longoni 2002), where ordinary pious urbanites engage in creative activities, generate astounding artefacts and creative expressions, critically engage cities and spaces and produce meaning for themselves, their neighbours and communities. The authors examine faith-inspired creative works and practices, like culinary arts, sartorial expressions and the religious reworking of popular music genres that are not