Crypt is a cypherpunk altarpiece embodying the potential of digital sculpture & secure self-custody of crypto. Being the artist’s Genesis NFT on Ethereum, it has been conceptualized over the course of 2 years as a highly media-specific artwork that builds upon the foundational principles of Ξ.

NOTE: For preview purposes, the file size of the shown 3D-model is only 1/6 of the full model. In the event that the NFT is sold, the original 3D-model, as well as files for anyone to 3D-print a Crypt, will be made publicly available and open source.

Made as a digi-physical hybrid, Crypt is a sculpture in the form of financial armor: a 3D printable safe. Not a representation of a safe, but an actual, secure, lockable strongbox intended to house hardware wallets. The exterior shape is 3D scanned from an “artificial rock” formed in a lab experiment attempting to reverse-engineer rock from metal at the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK). Built inside of it there is a fully 3D printable combination lock using mechanical cryptography with a total of 4096 possible passwords to choose from.

Ziggurats, mausoleums, cists, catacombs, vaults, the royal tombs of the Egyptian Pharaohs inside the Pyramids, and the untold treasures of the elves inside mountains… Throughout history, humans have aspired to perpetual existence and in our collective imagination, the very idea of an afterlife is intrinsically linked to the materiality of stone. The title Crypt refers to yet another way of conservation by encasement within stone: the underground chambers hidden beneath churches that store the most sacred remains. With its obvious kinship to the word cryptocurrency, they share the Greek root of kryptos meaning hidden or concealed.

Beyond the historical role of rock as humans’ material stronghold, usage of this synthetic rock completes the cycle of digital money. Cryptocurrencies run on hardware made of and with what used to be mineral matter. Storing keys to access crypto inside the Crypt returns them home – contained within stone once again. Likewise, the origins and “natural habitat” of the software side of digital money is accommodated by using power of two numbers throughout the design. These figures serve as the bas(e/i)s of both binary language and the Crypt [e.g. there are 2^3 (8) different parts, the combination lock is 2^4 (16) -sided, its height is 2^7 (128) mm and the exterior “rock” shape has a face count of 2^13 (8192) etc.] In the same vein, the combination lock is encoded and decoded in binary. Numbers are omitted from the three rotating dials and in their place there are small indentations representing numbers from 0 to 15 in binary. In the absence of a user interface, Crypt resembles a mere regular rock.

If science is the religion, technology is the church and perhaps nowhere is the congregation as devout as in cults like the cypherpunks and their successors in crypto – it is this lineage in which this altarpiece has been created. As customary for altarpieces, the piece is divided into many parts paying homage to its roots, but figurative representation of patron saints was not an option in the case of an ideology based on code, privacy and decentralisation. These cardinal virtues were instead embedded in its construction and function. The resolve of Crypt’s code-based geometry and solemn guardianship of its contents command an icon-like respect. The 3D exploded view recalls the heightened verticality of religious architecture like cathedrals and pagodas while also creating a sense of procession. It invites the viewer to imagine the rituals of opening and sealing the Crypt with access to all of one’s coins in it: moments of simultaneous excitement about handling lightning in a bottle and dread about all of it being drained into the ether. The “point of contact between earth and heaven, between matter and spirit” as art historian Irving Lavin described another altarpiece, Bernini’s Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (1647–1652).

Crypt’s divinity is less a result of the transcendental materiality of stone or the evangelic culture of crypto but is spirited by what the viewer sees when imagining it safeguarding their Grail.

Crypt (2^13) has 1 digital and 2 physical versions:

– Digital 3D NFT of a GLB-file suitable for displaying in a metaverse as a sculpture. The current pre-sale GLB-file contains only 15% of the full quality of the actual 3D-file which will be uploaded after the sale of the NFT. Likewise, files and instructions for 3D-printing a Crypt yourself will be uploaded to the decentralized Arweave file storage system and linked in this description after the sale of the NFT.

– Editioned Physical made to order out of a metal of choice and only available to the owner of the NFT. Sold separately with a possibility for customisation. Token-gated release with an unlimited supply: an open edition until the death of the artist. Price to be determined by the metal of choice and its manufacturing costs. The price of each Physical Edition after the 1st will be multiplied by its edition number (2nd ed. at 2x, 3rd edition. at 3x etc.)

– DIY Physicals that anyone can 3D-print using the files and documentation published & open-sourced after the NFT is sold.

This is the first NFT utilizing the g00ds drop format & the project for which the framework was developed by the artist. Ownership for one, access for all.

Further details about the physical versions:

• Exterior dimensions of the object are 114mm x 105mm x 128mm (4.5” x 4” x 5”).
• Inner pill-shaped storage compartment measures 97mm x 39mm x 39mm (3.8” x 1.5” x 1.5”) and can accommodate multiple hardware wallets (up to 3 Ledger Nano Xs), up to a dozen USB-drives, small external hard drives, NVMe SSDs etc.
• As an SLS 3D-print with 100% infill (solid) out of PA12 (Nylon), the full build weighs 575 grams (1.25 lbs) and a FDM 3D-print with 8 shells and 50 % infill out of PLA weighs 377 grams (0.8 lbs).
• The design is easy to 3D print but has tight tolerances and robust build quality. 100s of test prints have been made with various printers (FDM, SLA & SLS). The to-be-released standard version is optimised for FDM and SLS 3D printing technologies.
• Documentation including a README-file will be released along with the files. It contains parameters, considerations and tips for printing and post-processing.
• Technical support and additional versions optimised for specific CAM-technologies can be made available after the NFT has been sold.