Tesco’s Devotional (1997). This performance took place at the newly opened Tesco supermarket on Cromwell Road, West London. For two hours, I performed a ritualistic act of devotion to the store, crawling around the perimeter, prostrating myself, and reciting a Tesco mantra in reverence to what was being heralded as the pinnacle of modern shopping. The performance was both absurd and sincere, mirroring the exaggerated promotional language used to present the supermarket as offering the “ultimate shopping experience.”

But to me, it looked and functioned like every other supermarket: you go in, buy food, and leave. Beyond the superficial marketing of newness and convenience—complete with a coffee shop and shoe-shining service—Tesco, as a multinational corporation, was (and remains) part of a system that systematically undermines local economies. The performance highlighted the dangerous impact of such corporations on local livelihoods, and how these supposedly enhanced consumer experiences mask the homogenisation of our public and commercial spaces.

The work was a satirical critique of corporate influence, disguised as spiritual submission. By treating the store as a site of worship, Tesco’s Devotional called attention to the absurd lengths we go to in embracing commercial narratives—and how readily we accept the erosion of community and independent thought in exchange for convenience and corporate spectacle.