Don’t fear the big black box. There’s a new install in the turbine hall, tate modern. And it’s flawed genius. Its a humongous leviathan of a dirty old steel box, it feels like a shipping container and your in some giant ship, though not really more like it’s a level on a first person shooter. You enter the level for the first time, not quite sure where to go or what to do. You can’t take a photo of it, it’s too big and too close to the walls of the hall to ever really see it all. Though you get a teasing glimpse of it as you enter from the side - but its still obscured by the central walkway.
When you walk around / under you can hear noises inside. Only when you reach the far end do you see the ramp guiding you in to a black hole. As you enter in seconds you loose all sight, its totally depriving you of all vision. (unless you are unlucky enough to have people in front of you then you can see them a bit - which is the only flaw, i was lucky enough to have no one in front of me). The longer you walk the more careful you become, your hands grope in the dark you take tiny steps, you lose any sence of scale.
The you hit a velvet wall. Ending the fearful tip toeing with a soft thump. On turning around your vision is instantly restored as you walk back between the people who are wandering blindly in. It’s quite unreal.
It’s called ‘How it is’ and it’s by Miroslaw Balka.
