Shibboleth - the crack in the floor (Doris Salcedo)
A shibboleth is a word of phrase that is able to differentiate 'tribes, where a tribe is a nation, a group, an ethnic grouping etc. The idea is that the tribe that devises it knows that only its people are able to pronounce it accurately. This it is possible to differentiate. All quite simple really. For examples, see the bible.
[JOOI, Lost In Translation is on the telly again (good, I love it). NSTAC. And it's just like being back in Tokyo. All those flashing red lights at night. They're drinking sake out of boxes... now, I know how to do that...]
[This is the second go at writing this as the first was lost when my Mac powered down as it does when the battery runs out - for some reason, I missed the often non-existent warnings. Shit.]
If you happen to live without access to Tate Modern in London you will not get to see perhaps this most amazing piece of art. The previous turbine hall (it is an ex-power station) installations have been well attended but thus is amazing. The playfulness and youthful exuberance of the people enjoying it was amazing. Even the girls commented that there were lots of 'young people' (the girls are 11, 13 and 15 so this was quite a statement). People took their shoes off and climbed into it; they lay on the floor and stuck their heads into it; they put their cameras into it; kids walked in it... Interactive.
It is difficult to talk about it without discussing how it was done. But who cres. It is relevant and irrelevant. It is beautiful (and beautifully done) and it is amazing to see so many people at the Tate enjoying it.
It is a real crack; a real creation. You can get into it - you can climb into it. You can break your leg. It is often two feet deep. It is two feet wide and it is 1mm wide. Shibboleth. It separates.
I have seen many of the turbine hall installations and while they have all been captivating, this has been the one that has been most amusing and absorbing and so obviously just right there.
I was expecting it to be in colour.
[LIT, photography. It is a base camp. No translation needed.]
[JOOI, Lost In Translation is on the telly again (good, I love it). NSTAC. And it's just like being back in Tokyo. All those flashing red lights at night. They're drinking sake out of boxes... now, I know how to do that...]
[This is the second go at writing this as the first was lost when my Mac powered down as it does when the battery runs out - for some reason, I missed the often non-existent warnings. Shit.]
If you happen to live without access to Tate Modern in London you will not get to see perhaps this most amazing piece of art. The previous turbine hall (it is an ex-power station) installations have been well attended but thus is amazing. The playfulness and youthful exuberance of the people enjoying it was amazing. Even the girls commented that there were lots of 'young people' (the girls are 11, 13 and 15 so this was quite a statement). People took their shoes off and climbed into it; they lay on the floor and stuck their heads into it; they put their cameras into it; kids walked in it... Interactive.
It is difficult to talk about it without discussing how it was done. But who cres. It is relevant and irrelevant. It is beautiful (and beautifully done) and it is amazing to see so many people at the Tate enjoying it.
It is a real crack; a real creation. You can get into it - you can climb into it. You can break your leg. It is often two feet deep. It is two feet wide and it is 1mm wide. Shibboleth. It separates.
I have seen many of the turbine hall installations and while they have all been captivating, this has been the one that has been most amusing and absorbing and so obviously just right there.
I was expecting it to be in colour.
[LIT, photography. It is a base camp. No translation needed.]
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