Visitors to London’s Tate Modern gallery are encouraged to engage actively with a divisive new work — and some, it seems, are taking the request too literally.
The new exhibit, Shibboleth by Colombian artist Doris Salcedo, consists of a 167m-long crack in the floor of the cavernous Turbine Hall.
The work is intended to symbolise the gap between white Europeans and the rest of humanity.
Unfortunately, some visitors have been so distracted by the impressive surroundings that they have unwittingly fallen into the crack, about 30cm wide in places, the museum said this week.
“Three visitors missed their footing and tripped in the Turbine Hall. They were attended to immediately by Tate security staff trained in first aid but there have been no serious injuries,” a spokesperson said.
In total, 12 000 people visited the installation on the first day it opened to the public. “We have thought carefully about visitor safety and there are measures in place. There are no plans to barrier off the work at this stage,” said the spokesperson. — AFP