#Trashtag

As part of Elevate Atlanta 2014, a pop-up gallery curated by local arts organisations, this interactive installation was created as a radical interface for social messaging. Inspired by the exhibition’s “Social City” theme, a dumpster parked on a downtown street was filled with more than 100 illuminated, magnetic blocks inscribed with words and emoji. The public was invited to use the walls of the container as a canvas, arranging the blocks to create messages of their own. Social media became something new: a collective act undertaken together in physical space. But #Trashtag did more than just collect these messages – it amplified them. With the push of a button, participants could have the container tweet on their behalf. The dumpster acted as a mouthpiece for the people’s ideas, critiques, and hopes.