Museumgoers Tripped Up by Exhibit
Oct. 27 2008, Published 7:07 a.m. ET
ON CRACK Salcedo exhibit(Photo: Getty Images)
Artists have long suffered for their craft, but London's Tate Modern is now putting the hurt on patrons. Just four weeks into its opening, a new exhibit by Colombian artist Doris Salcedo, entitled Shibboleth 2007, has claimed 15 victims. The piece is an ever-widening crack, meant to symbolize racial divisions within society, running down the middle of the expansive Turbine Hall's floor.
Despite an internal e-mail warning of "the potential for significant leg injury," sent prior to the exhibit's opening, the fissure has nonetheless claimed the ankles and legs of over a dozen absent minded Londoners. It's not the first time visitors to Britain's premier modern gallery have walked away with more then just a newfound appreciation for art. In July, the Tate's head of safety and security, Dennis Ahern, sent out an e-mail reporting eight injuries since February, including one fatality. While some have suggested covering or roping off Salcedo's exhibit as a safety precaution, a Tate spokesperson announced that museum has no plans to do so at this time.
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