Salcedo | The Crack: A Rift in the Museum Floor

In an exhibition hall converted from a huge industrial factory building, a 167-meter-long crack appears on the concrete floor, extending from the entrance all the way to the depths of the hall: starting as a hairline-thin line on the ground, it gradually widens and deepens as it progresses, revealing embedded wire mesh at its deepest point. The edges of the crack are irregular, as if the floor was truly torn open, not cut. The exhibition hall itself remains as is, without any other exhibits, signs, or lighting changes. After the work is finished, the crack is filled, but the seam remains permanently on the floor. Photograph from one end of the exhibition hall along the depth of the crack, showing both the gradual change in width and the scale of the space. Avoid: neatly cut crack edges, adding fences and explanatory signs, uniform width, adding other exhibits to the hall.

Translated from Chinese by AI.

在一座巨大的工業廠房改建的展廳裡,混凝土地板上出現一道長達一百六十七公尺的裂縫,從入口一路延伸到展廳深處:起點只是地面上一條細如髮絲的線,越往前越寬越深,最深處可以看見裡面嵌著的金屬絲網。裂縫的邊緣不規則,像是地板真的被撕開,而不是被切割。展廳本身維持原樣,沒有任何其他展品、標示或照明變化。作品結束後裂縫被填平,但接痕永久留在地板上。從展廳一端沿裂縫縱深拍攝,寬度的漸變與空間的尺度同時可見。避免:裂縫邊緣切割整齊、加設圍欄與說明牌、寬度均一、展廳加入其他展品。