Miranda July opens interfaith charity shop as art installation in Selfridges London

American artist Miranda July has created an interfaith charity shop inside Selfridges department store on Oxford Street, London, as a commissioned installation by Artangel. The Interfaith Charity Shop, open until October 22, 2017, is jointly run by four religious organizations: Islamic Relief, Jewish charity Norwood, London Buddhist Centre, and Spitalfields Crypt Trust. Selling secondhand clothes, books, toys, and accessories at typical charity shop prices, the store divides proceeds equally among the four groups, each donating 2.5% of its share to another charity of its choice. July, known for performative and relational art, said she had long wanted to create an artwork in the form of a shop, exploiting the participatory conventions of commerce. She was struck by the ubiquity of charity shops in Britain—there are about 10,000—and through this project came to understand their radically unique economic model. The work plays on the contrast between its posh location and the ordinary charity shop experience, touching on themes of religious coexistence, market economy, and luxury industry. July noted that many shoppers may not realize they are inside an artwork, which she finds intrinsically participatory: customers apply their taste, choose objects, try on clothes, and complete a real transaction.