Limited & Tokenized Thesis Edition
To mark my thesis defense, I created a limited, tokenized edition on Bitcoin
Here is the story of this double materialization, physical and digital, that complements my research. My thesis explores the governance of cryptocurrencies, especially Bitcoin, conceived as sociotechnical infrastructures. To mark this defense, I wanted to create a unique object: a limited, tokenized edition on Bitcoin using Counterparty.
The paper edition consists of two booklets grouped in a cardboard box printed for the occasion. Each copy is numbered.
Anecdote: The first print was imperfect, so each box was reworked by hand, reinforced... and even finished with medical tape.
The front cover subverts the austere formats imposed by the administration. It features an illustration close to my heart: an old humorous meme, parodying the codes of Bitcoin maximalists, representing my research — see the image.
The back cover ties together the material and immaterial. Each copy contains a paper wallet with a public address visible and a private key hidden.
This wallet guarantees ownership of a linked token issued on Counterparty.
Each copy is linked to a unique token ROLLANDTHESE.edition_soutenance,
issued in 10 copies on Counterparty (see the asset).
These tokens are sub-assets of a main asset, ROLLANDTHESE
(see the main asset), created on the day of the official deposit.
This echoes my first immersion in the Bitcoin ecosystem (2017), where I discovered Counterparty and the debates about OP_RETURN:
hence a back cover including two Rare Pepe’conomists I created in 2017 (Keynes & Hayek together),
crypto as a negotiated socio-technical arrangement.
This limited edition is a theoretical-practical manifesto: the tokenization empirically reinforces my theoretical claims: recording, authentication and certification required the use of BTC and XCP units via free and community tools.
Distribution of the editions: my supervisor and the members of the jury — È. Chiapello, F. Musiani, J. Blanc, J. Couppey-Soubeyran, É. Monnet, A. Mallard. One for @Adrian_Sauzade, one for @AssoCDC and one for myself. The last one? Maybe auctioned for a collector 👀.