The end of the world comes to London's Tate Modern

Tuesday, 14th October 2008

Written by Joshua Smith

In a vast hall, hidden away behind a curtain of coloured plastic, disillusioned Londoners take refuge from the economic disasters of the day and, lying back on blue and yellow metal bed frames, reflect on what other sorts of disasters could await the city.

At least, that's the idea. Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster's dystopian vision, entitled "TH.2058", is the latest installation at the Tate Modern's magnificent Turbine Hall.

Upon entering the hall, we are presented with 200 steel bunk beds, all without their mattresses upon which visitors can sit or lie down and flip through the pages of a book, one of 20 specially chosen science fiction titles. The space is set up to represent a post-apocalyptic shelter but with silent Sci Fi clips played on a huge screen at one end and the sound of driving rain to accompany it, the effect is far from comforting.

But is it meant to be? It wasn't just images of the future that informed this project. "History is part of the project," Gonzalez-Foerster explained, "more 2058 became a period the more I was looking back to 1958".

And despite the fact that the war had been over for a good 13 years in 1958, the Blitz-inspired bomb shelter feel is certainly there, invoking the image of the bed-lined halls of makeshift hospital in post-air raid London. The work has received with mixed reviews but the artist herself seems pleased with the effect: "It's a turbulence, so it's like fasten your seatbelts!" she told reporters.

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