Doris Salcedo
Colombian Sculptor Doris Salcedo’s Shibboleth is a series of intrusive cracks invading through the concrete floor of the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern in London. Shibboleth is part of The Unilever Series, a series of work where the Tate invites an artist to make a work especially for the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall. The annual series has seen some of the most innovative works.
Shibboleth
Shibboleth is the first of the series of works to intervene directly into the fabric of the Turbine Hall, rather that fill this iconic space with an installation or sculpture. She has created a hidden crevice that stretches the length of the turbine hall.
The concrete walls of the crevice are ruptured by a steel mesh fence, creating a tension between these elements that resist yet depend on one another.
Salcedo aims to address the perception of a long legacy of racism and colonialism that underlies the modern world.
Her cracks so a perspective of looking down and seeing what lies beneath the normal, when you walk in it has quite a subtle feeling, however looking in reveals a feeling of catastrophe.
Salcedo comments on how her cracks show and fill the space with an intrusive presence, an unwelcoming feeling like an immigrant. Like an immigrant intruding without permission.
Why Doris Salcedo?
I was initially interested in this piece of work for the appearance. It showed close relation to some of my images that I had taken with the muddy pathways. It was interesting to see the work and then research and unveil the reasons as to why she created such powerful invasions and the contextual reasons lurking beneath. Finding out the context of the work actually made the whole thing ten times more powerful for me to look at. This is something to look at whilst the degree show fast approaches.
What am I trying to show? What is it about?
When taking the context into consideration I find it particularly fascinating because wherever you choose to look or at which point you stop along the cracks, the reasons and meanings are always present. You can relate and delve into a history and a past.
This is something to think about in my work, for example:
If I turn my image upside down does it still represent the same?
If I focus on a close up of the image on a large scale does it still have the same presence of the same image?
http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/unilever-series-doris-salcedo-shibboleth
Video of Doris Salcedo taking about Shibboleth – http://bcove.me/6362wi09
