Ouch! In London, Art Hurts

Installation at Tate Modern causes at least 15 injuries to unsuspecting visitors
By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 27, 2007 12:50 PM CST
Ouch! In London, Art Hurts
Doris Salcedo's Shibboleth 2007, at Tate Modern in London, has attracted crowds.   ((c) Frabuleuse)

A high-profile installation at the Tate Modern has won critical praise and drawn crowds, but Doris Salcedo's Shibboleth 2007 has also caused trouble, the London Times reports. Some 15 people were injured in a month while viewing the work, a crack in the floor of the gallery large enough to gobble up a toddler.

The museum rejected plans to install a transparent cover over the crack, created to symbolize racial hatred. Guards are supposed to be watching unsuspecting spectators, but a spokesperson says the Tate won't be erecting any barriers. "Physical protection measures which would normally be applied to a gap of this nature are not deemed appropriate due to its artistic nature," says a security official. (More art stories.)

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