9 October 2007 - 6 April 2008
Unilever Series: Doris Salcedo Shibboleth
Turbine Hall, Tate Modern, London
9 October 2007 - 6 April 2008
Sunday - Thursday: 10am - 6pm
Friday and Saturday: 10am - 10pm
Admission Free
When you look into the crack you do not see Tate Modern's foundations, but instead a carefully constructed concrete cast formation, embedded with chain-link wire fence that was once used as a boundary fence between two nations.
It took a year to make off-site and 6 weeks to create the crack running the full 167 meters (548 ft) of the Turbine Hall.
It is very unusual for the Tate Modern to take an artwork with such a strong political statement. The artist describes it as "...the history of racism running parallel to the history of modernity".
Mystery surrounds how the crack was created, but the Tate have stated, "The work was made with utmost precision according to drawings by the artist, and nothing was accidental."
Salcedo described the crack as "bottomless... as deep as humanity" so I asked staff how deep it gets and they told me they weren't sure but wouldn't it spoil the illusion if you knew? They're probably right but I think it goes down about a meter.
Seeing Shibboleth, there are certainly similarities with earthquake damage and fault lines. I was amazed by the interest from visitors in what could be considered a simple hazard. Staff are on hand to try and keep people from tripping into the crack but I'm sure it won't be long before we hear about twisted ankles injuries.
Nevertheless, it's interesting to see and has some great photo opportunities, whereas you can't take photos in any of the galleries at Tate Modern.
In case you're interested, a shibboleth is a word used to test and recognize foreigners by using a sound that would be difficult for some people to pronounce.
Doris Salcedo was born in 1958 in Bogota, Columbia. She studied Fine Art at the University of Bogota and New York University.
Unilever Series: Doris Salcedo Shibboleth
Turbine Hall, Tate Modern, London
9 October 2007 - 6 April 2008
Sunday - Thursday: 10am - 6pm
Friday and Saturday: 10am - 10pm
Admission Free
When you look into the crack you do not see Tate Modern's foundations, but instead a carefully constructed concrete cast formation, embedded with chain-link wire fence that was once used as a boundary fence between two nations.
It took a year to make off-site and 6 weeks to create the crack running the full 167 meters (548 ft) of the Turbine Hall.
It is very unusual for the Tate Modern to take an artwork with such a strong political statement. The artist describes it as "...the history of racism running parallel to the history of modernity".
Mystery surrounds how the crack was created, but the Tate have stated, "The work was made with utmost precision according to drawings by the artist, and nothing was accidental."
Salcedo described the crack as "bottomless... as deep as humanity" so I asked staff how deep it gets and they told me they weren't sure but wouldn't it spoil the illusion if you knew? They're probably right but I think it goes down about a meter.
Seeing Shibboleth, there are certainly similarities with earthquake damage and fault lines. I was amazed by the interest from visitors in what could be considered a simple hazard. Staff are on hand to try and keep people from tripping into the crack but I'm sure it won't be long before we hear about twisted ankles injuries.
Nevertheless, it's interesting to see and has some great photo opportunities, whereas you can't take photos in any of the galleries at Tate Modern.
In case you're interested, a shibboleth is a word used to test and recognize foreigners by using a sound that would be difficult for some people to pronounce.
Doris Salcedo was born in 1958 in Bogota, Columbia. She studied Fine Art at the University of Bogota and New York University.
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