Shibboleth @ The Tate Modern
Team Ektopia spent the day in London a few weeks ago and we popped into The Tate Modern to take a look at whatever was inside the Turbine Hall. Unfortunately it was all closed off while a new installation was being created. Apparently, the new piece, titled Shibboleth, took sis months to create a 550 foot long crack in the Turbine Hall’s floor. The crack is three feet deep and 10 inches wide in places so it’s no wonder that there have already been a few injuries including one from someone who assumed that the crack was painted on the floor!
“Shibboleth asks questions about the interaction of sculpture and space, about architecture and the values it enshrines, and about the shaky ideological foundations on which Western notions of modernity are built. In particular, Salcedo is addressing a long legacy of racism and colonialism that underlies the modern world. A ‘shibboleth’ is a custom, phrase or use of language that acts as a test of belonging to a particular social group or class. By definition, it is used to exclude those deemed unsuitable to join this group.”
I’m off to London again pretty soon and can’t wait to injure myself too! [via]