Sledgehammer Keyboard


'Taylor Hokanson Taylor Hokanson

The Sledgehammer Keyboard communicates with a computer like its common counterpart—it is the user’s experience that is unusual. Participants are invited to lay down their thoughts by striking its keys with a hammer. Each key requires a great force to activate, so users must be aggressive and concise in order to complete an idea.

The printing press, ballpoint pen and desktop computer all represent great leaps in the technology of communication. Each of these benchmarks made the writing process easier, at least in terms of procedure. But perhaps something is lost when an intellectual endeavor becomes too facile. If we put less physical effort into writing, is there also a corresponding shift in mental effort?

Sledgehammer, installed in the public space of Linz’s Main Square, gave passers-by the opportunity to vent their pent-up frustrations and work off their rage at poorly designed or malfunctioning technology.