248. Shibboleth

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:

• 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)

Cross-Cultural Comparisons: Works on the Ground

1. Smithson, Spiral Jetty
2. Great Serpent Mound
3. Weiwei, Sunflower Seeds