Patrons fall for Tate Modern's fissure installation

The U.K.'s Tate Modern museum is no stranger to controversial artwork, but a posted health warning may be in order for one of its most recent, headline-grabbing displays.

In the first four weeks after Colombian artist Doris Salcedo's Shibboleth opened, there were 15 reported accidents by patrons viewing the installation, according to British newspaper The Times, which obtained the details through an access to information request.

Though critical reception of the work — essentially a widening crack snaking across the floor of the gallery's Turbine Hall — has been mixed, the installation has drawn a host of curious onlookers.

Shibboleth, unveiled on Oct. 8 and open until April 6,runs the entire 167 metre length of the large hall and, according to the Times, widens enough in certain spots to allow a small child to fall in.

The Times also found that, in an internal e-mail issued prior to the exhibit's opening, Tate safety and security chief Dennis Ahern acknowledged that unwary visitors could trip and fall.

However, "physical protection measures which would normally be applied to a gap of this nature are not deemed appropriate due to its artistic nature," Ahern said in the notice.

A Tate spokeswoman said there are currently no plans to fence off or cover the installation, which has reportedly drawn more than 850,000 visitors. Museum staff rove near the installation and also hand out pamphlets about the exhibit to visitors.

According to a Tate statement, the exhibit's title refers to "a custom, phrase or use of language that acts as a test of belonging to a particular social group or class. By definition, it is used to exclude those deemed unsuitable to join this group."

Salcedo has said that the installation symbolizes the split caused by racism and the rupture and divisions present in Western society.