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OPEN TO THE WORLD

Words: Jacob Corner

She launched an interfaith charity shop in our Oxford Street store in 2017; now, US artist Miranda July has released a short documentary, ‘Open To The World’, about her groundbreaking thrift-meets-art project.

US artist Miranda July. Photograph: Tom Oldham © Artangel

Some of you may remember the multifaith, pop-up, charity shop in Selfridges Oxford Street, London store that we launched in 2017. Curated by filmmaker, artist, author, and all-round renaissance woman Miranda July for Artangel (an arts organisation that produces art in unexpected places), it was the first interfaith charity shop in the UK. And like any other charity shop, it was stocked with affordable secondhand goods, but what was so unique was the fact it brought together charities from different faiths – Islamic Relief, Norwood Jewish charity, the London Buddhist Centre, and the Spitalfields Crypt Trust – all inside the Selfridges store. The project was a celebration of charity shops in the UK, with the shop functioning as much as a curated art piece as a functioning retail venue. 

 

If you didn’t get a chance to visit the shop, you can take a look inside with Miranda in her new documentary ‘Open To The World’, as part of the upcoming Criterion release of her film, ‘Me and You and Everyone We Know’. The short film explores Miranda’s thinking around everything from charity shops to faith, and offers an insight into the mind of one of the most singular creatives working today.

Watch it here

‘Open to the World’ (2020), Miranda July

 

In terms of why we chose to collaborate with Miranda July, it felt less like a measured consideration and more a case of unbridled delight when we were approached. The Selfridges creative teams had been following July’s work for years and often used it as a source of reference and inspiration. We’ve always loved how quietly subversive her work is. To an extent, a lot of what we do at Selfridges is about questioning and subverting the idea of shopping. Her proposal for the interfaith charity shop struck a chord for a number of reasons: it challenged notions of luxury shopping; it embraced our core brand sentiment of ‘Everyone is Welcome’, and it put art in an unexpected place. In truth, it was an honour that she chose us, and the resulting work was something that felt brave, beautiful and playful.

– Selfridges Director of Creative Direction Sarah McCullough

Inside the interfaith charity shop

Selfridges, 2017
  • Photographs: Hugo Glendinning © Artangel 

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