#Hash

Hash is an art installation proposal for the Winter Stations programme on Lake Ontario in Toronto, Canada.

In response to the brief's theme of human resilience, the hashtag shaped structure symbolises the important role of technology in today’s world. Throughout the Covid pandemic, as societies locked down and the only form of communication became digital, the hashtag as an organisational tool became the source of curiosity, learning and strength for many people in lieu of physical contact, stimulation and connection. The hashtags use in modern communication represents our ability to thrive in creating communities, movements and support networks digitally.

Like social media, the Hashtag form is made of and relies upon its resilient connections for structural integrity. As a series of easily assembled interlocking and manageable sized modules with strategic mechanical fixings to aid rigidity, the perfectly symmetrical form sits balanced, casting beautiful shadows on the beach and allowing trickles of light through its perforations, which also reduce weight. Constructed module by module around an existing lifeguard tower, a key component of the brief, the Hash structure sits independently and frames views out on all sides for would-be lifeguards. Visitors are invited to put themselves at the centre of the hashtag.

At a distance, the hashtag form is instantly recognisable. Up close, the craft of module connections allow an appreciation of efficient fabrication. Virtually, the hashtag is prime for distribution.