Abadir Hashi

The landscape is not just a neutral space but rather a highly charged political space that is tied to the complexity of social, environmental and economic factors of where we live. This project focuses on Somalia, where the landscape is perceived through a narrative point of view carried within poetry, songs, and folktales. The rich history of oral culture and the nomadic lifestyle of Somalis gives foundation to my research and has helped me explore how a digital landscape facilitates traditional ways of living whilst providing new modes of interaction that were otherwise not possible. 

Somalia is regarded as ‘The Nation of Poets’ and the project maps a 'songline', a filter to engage multiple layers of politics, nature, and productivity. 'In Somali oratory is never just "art of art’s sake" but is bound to and part of the social life and network building. Both prose and poetry are connected with special social situations. A traditional poem has always a special message: a story to tell or an argument to advance.' (Said S. Samatar, 1982)

Despite political and economic struggles, Somalis are innovating to break the chronic cycle of vulnerability so that we see digital start-ups in major cities like Mogadishu. The project generates a series of spaces that are designed to heighten people’s day-to-day life, whether it be providing electricity, power or water facilities to support a nomadic existence. Early research began with looking into the emergence of 'digital nomads', individuals who are reinventing the workplace by adapting their lifestyle around landscapes.

The scope of this project is a 2000km fragile landscape made of glass, fabric, and textiles that doesn’t constrain people but instead allows a generosity of space and the freedom to circulate. It's a journey that becomes a facilitator of the tension between nature and moments of the tangible and the digital.  The geometry aligns with landscape, introducing a new ecosystem between nature and human habitation – iterative models that experiment with bridging across cities/landscape for a multitude of social and political identities.