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Elegy for the MD5 hashing algorithm is a work exploring the algorithmic retirement of the omonimous hashing function. It takes any length of text and converts it into a 128-bit hash, which is then translated into a musical score. The work reflects on both the history and the cryptographic obsolescence of MD5.
Designed by Ronald Rivest in 1992, MD5 became one of the most widely used cryptographic hash functions. However, deemed cryptographically broken between 2005 and 2008, it was formally deprecated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in 2010.
The piece exists both as a live coding environment and as a sound installation. It draws a parallel between algorithmic deprecation and the obsolescence of human labour, exploring the grief that such loss can evoke. Performed live with texts addressing grief and labour struggles, the work transforms written language into musical requiems, offering a final tribute to the retiring hash function.
Credits: Katja Goljat, Društvo Ljudmila
