Portrait of a Shopping Centre as a Cathedral

Portrait of a Shopping Centre as a Cathedral was a performance installation commissioned by Art & Society, a public art service organisation as part of their Lifestyle: Culture Re/Appropriation Project in 1990. It was produced in collaboration with mixed-media artist, Keith Piper, who created an installation/sculpture that included a hi-top trainer gold painted displayed on a pedestal on top of a tall white wooden plinth. On the front was a framed print Our Community Prayer, a reworking of The Lord’s Prayer, written by McMillan.

Piper’s installation consisted of a steel pole frame onto which were hung five digitally printed drapes with computer generated images of performances from The Out of Order Crew. It was set in Dalston Cross Shopping Centre next door to Hackney’s famous Ridley Road Market, and stood for three days. Three times every day, a sermon about the evils of consumer society was performed by Michael Hamilton and Jasmine Hodge-Lake, dressed as priests, who invited the gathered congregation of shoppers to share in reading of Our Community Prayer.

The leaflet that was shared with passersby that they used to participate in reciting Our Community Prayer as an audience:

Photo stills of the installation and performance: