Shibboleth
Doris Salcedo. Turbine Hall, London. 2007-2008 C.E. Installation
She uses this giant crack on the floor of ceremonial hall as a symbol of racism, discrimination, and colonialism that separated one being from each other. Through this art piece she addresses that the modernity is a result of colonial exploitation of the "stronger" from the "weaker".
FORM:
installation; 548 foot long crack in the Tate Museum, London
FUNCTION:
a statement on racism - gap between white people and the rest of society
CONTENT:
crack supposed to appear bottomless - as deep as humanity; crack represents borders and divisions (immigration, segregation, racial hatred)
CONTEXT:
created in secret so that no one would know how she did it
DORIS SALCEDO: a female, Colombian sculptor (One of her main goals: to create a change in perspective)
- Shibboleth: a word or custom that a person not familiar with a language may mispronounce; used to identify foreigners or people of a different class (so that they can be excluded)
- the piece is titled this as it visually depicts the gaps in our relationships & the invisible barriers we place between ourselves & others -- thus it references themes like racism & prejudice
- Salcedo has said that, in one sense, Shibboleth represents the immigrant experience in Europe.
- an installation piece featuring a large crack in the floor that starts off small & widens as it moves across the room
- created by opening the museum's floor & inserting a cast of Colombian rock faces (& then wire mesh)
- the fissure = 548 feet in length (varies in width from as little as one inch wide to as large as two feet wide)
- after being on display for seven months, the crack was sealed & exists as a scar (to commemorate the lives of those who are prejudiced against & excluded + to show that the past cannot truly be erased) -- this action is also used to represent the possibility of healing
- sculpture/installation -- it lies in the middle ground of these two concepts
- emphasizes the relationship & interaction between the sculpture & space (as well as between the artist & the viewer)
- a piece of conceptual artwork (& one whose meaning is purposefully left up to interpretation)
- Smithson, Spiral Jetty
- Great Serpent Mound
- Weiwei, Sunflower Seeds
