Shibboleth
Shibboleth. Doris Salcedo. 2007–2008 C.E. Installation.
In the eighth iteration, the Colombian artist Doris Salcedo produced Shibboleth, a deep meandering crack in the floor.
Despite the unassuming nature of this work, it defies neat description and exists in a limbo between sculpture and installation
Salcedo’s installation requires attentive viewing. The rupture measures 548 feet in length but its width and depth vary
The viewer’s perception into the crevice alters, as he or she walks and shifts to better glimpse inside the cracks and appreciate the interior space
Change in perspective is one of Salcedo’s goals.
“Shibboleth,” a codeword that distinguishes people who belong from those who do not.
Salcedo’s experience as a Colombian artist working abroad has made her especially sympathetic to the plight of marginalized people.
Salcedo’s act remains transgressive: the act of deliberately breaking one’s media (in this case a concrete floor) is an act of rebellion.
Is this painting? sculpture? architecture? installation? intervention? Salcedo’s strength as an artist is her ability to balance the formal impact of Shibboleth with its message, while preventing one from overshadowing the other.
In the eighth iteration, the Colombian artist Doris Salcedo produced Shibboleth, a deep meandering crack in the floor.
Despite the unassuming nature of this work, it defies neat description and exists in a limbo between sculpture and installation
Salcedo’s installation requires attentive viewing. The rupture measures 548 feet in length but its width and depth vary
The viewer’s perception into the crevice alters, as he or she walks and shifts to better glimpse inside the cracks and appreciate the interior space
Change in perspective is one of Salcedo’s goals.
“Shibboleth,” a codeword that distinguishes people who belong from those who do not.
Salcedo’s experience as a Colombian artist working abroad has made her especially sympathetic to the plight of marginalized people.
Salcedo’s act remains transgressive: the act of deliberately breaking one’s media (in this case a concrete floor) is an act of rebellion.
Is this painting? sculpture? architecture? installation? intervention? Salcedo’s strength as an artist is her ability to balance the formal impact of Shibboleth with its message, while preventing one from overshadowing the other.