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Shibboleth, Tate crack

Mr E is a builder, who was working at Tate Modern while Shibboleth was being installed, and although for contractual reasons he does not wish to be further identified, he is very happy to recount what he witnessed. “They dug a dirty great trench about a yard wide and a yard deep. Then they brought in lorry-load after lorry-load of cement and poured it in, using 10-foot sections of what looked like carved polystyrene moulding to form the sides. Then a whole bunch of people lay down on their stomachs for about a week and finished it off with brushes. Looked bloody uncomfortable, I can tell you. It’s about racism? Can’t see it myself, but I’m not much of a one for modern art. It was a pretty good trench, though. And one hell of a lot of cement. Good luck to ‘em.“

October 10, 2007 | Filed Under  

comments

One Response to “Shibboleth, Tate crack”

  1. terry on April 12th, 2008

    have to confess to having rushed to the tate with 10 minutes to spare between appointments and on seeing this bloody great crack (and not realising it was an installation) thought it reminiscent of the family pile, and that they’d better get an underpinner in quick….

  • About me

    I'm a playwright and investment analyst. I have a broad range of interests: food, gardening, innovation & intellectual property, sustainability, architecture & design, writing and the arts. I sit on the board of Talawa Theatre Company and advise a CIS investment trust on socially responsible investments.

  • Recent Work

    Recent plays include, for theatre: Nakamitsu, Yellow Gentlemen, Lost in Peru, Lemon Love. For radio: Places in Between (R4), Patent Breaking Life Saving (WS).

  • Nakamitsu

  • Yellow Gentlemen