Hash Breakdown
2024
Critical physical interface
Hash Breakdown is an autonomous critical interface installation made up of small computers, sensors, electronic modules, 3D-printed parts, and digital code. It operates in real time, automatically parsing sentences from the internet that contain the keywords “feminism is”, and slowly turning them into something called a hash.
The aim of this artwork is to break down and challenge the confusing, often exclusive and male-dominated world of algorithms and blockchain technology. A hash algorithm is a mathematical function that turns any kind of data into an output of a fixed length. This process is normally super fast, but here it is slowed down to explain how it works.
This project uses a specific type of hash called SHA-256, which is commonly used for data integrity verification, password storage, digital signatures, and which also forms an integral component of the Bitcoin blockchain, enabling the proof-of-work (PoW) consensus algorithm. Hash Breakdown articulates a critique towards the mystifying and elitist narrative built around algorithms and crypto culture.
Usually, creating a hash with SHA-256 takes less than a millisecond, but here it is stretched out to a four-minute visual explanation. The artwork shows this process in a way that mimics a logic gate diagram of the SHA-256 algorithm.
The installation is run by microcontrollers, which receive pieces of data needed for each step of the hash-making process. It uses a SHA-256 code implementation in Python, which creates the hash but has been changed so that each step of the process is shown visually or with sound, making tangible this normally hidden process.
The creation of the artwork is inspired by DIY, hacker and maker cultures, which is why it incorporates 3D-printed parts, low-tech electronics and reverse engineering methods. Hash Breakdown was created with the aim of knowledge sharing and is available as an open-source project on GitHub:
In terms of software, Hash Breakdown uses custom code written in Python and C++ programming languages. Each of the microcontrollers (ESP32) and the minicomputer (Raspberry Pi 4 model B) run a specific code written for the functionality the given device should perform. For example, the ESP32 microcontroller connected to the OLED display is executing a Python code written to receive data from the router via WiFi in real-time, and to send the received data as pixel coordinates to be shown on the display as numbers.
The project utilizes custom code and dependencies, such as open-source libraries and packages implemented in the codes. Some of the crucial dependencies used in the project are the pyttsx3 python library for converting text to speech, the nltk package for natural language processing and the socket module for network communication.
A specific script was added to the project for exhibition scenarios where there is no internet connection available and also to prevent the obsolescence of the artwork in the future. This additional code functionality automatically creates a backup database each time the system connects to the internet and uses the database as input data in case the system cannot access the World Wide Web.
Hardware-wise, the work is made of 17 modules, each consisting of a 3D-printed base that houses various electronic components. The "brain" of the installation is the Raspberry Pi mini-computer, which sends data to the router, another essential hardware component. From the router, the data is further sent to four ESP32 microcontrollers. The microcontrollers are physically connected to low-tech electronic hardware, including mini-speakers, amplifiers, OLED and TFT displays and infrared sensors.
Some modules feature a fully custom-made hardware setup, such as the "binary display" module, composed of individual light-emitting diodes, that visually represent the 0 and 1 bits generated from the process of data conversion. Additionally, two passive infrared sensors are implemented to detect whether a person is present in front of the artwork so the system can automatically adjust the installation's sound volume.
List of essential hardware used:
4x ESP32 microcontroller, Raspberry Pi 4 model B, router, OLED display, 2x TFT display, LCD display with I2C module, 2x PIR sensors, 3x mini speakers, 2x amplifiers, RGB LED module, breadboards, diodes, cables and wires.
Photos above by Julian Fallas from the exhibition Futuros Decentralizados at Etopia Center for Art and Technology, Zaragoza, Spain.
Hash Breakdown exhibited at Dutch Design Week 2024, The Netherlands. Photos by Barbara Medo.
Hash Breakdown at Dutch Design Week 2024, The Netherlands. Photo by Boudewijn Bollmann. © Koelhuis Eindhoven.