On auction at @BTC Prague June 11-13 ⚡️
"Bitcoin Fixes This Bulla (#1/8) - Sound Money" by @Yonat Vaks
Ceramic stoneware sculpture with tailor made iron stand
Ceramic sculpture - 16x16x16 cm, iron stand - 10x10x10cm10x10x10 cm
"'Bitcoin Fixes This' is a series of eight ceramic sculptures, modern replicas of the very first ledgers ever invented. Each one represents one of the main problems in the FIAT system that Bitcoin solves.
This bulla (#1/8), engraved with the phrase - 'Sound Money' - explains the fact that Bitcoin has a hard cap of 21 million. FIAT money can be created instantly in unlimited amounts and that breaks the fundamental property of good money: scarcity. As a consequence, your purchasing power declines over time, saving is punished and speculation is seemingly rewarded. This isn't a bug in the FIAT system, it's a feature, and it has tremendous consequences on society.
This series bridges over 5000 years of the concept of money. Around 3300 BC, in ancient Mesopotamia, the first ledgers were invented. They were sealed clay envelopes, called bullae, that held tokens representing contracts between parties. When the first transactional contracts were invented, it was understood that they needed to be trustless. These ledgers eventually led to accounting and the invention of written language.
Each piece is a ceramic ball that holds ceramic orange pills inside - each a unique modern interpretation of these ledgers. Ancient bullae were sealed with the contract minted on the outside. My modern interpretation is adorned with engravings representing the monetary problem Bitcoin fixes in a memetic, humorous way.
The Genesis block is minted on the outside, as well as an engraving of a snake, holding an orange pill. This is a nod to the story of The Garden of Eden in the Book of Genesis. The snake in this story is a symbol of temptation, knowledge, and, ultimately, disobedience. He tempts Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The snake in this interpretation hands the viewer an orange pill, a new fruit from the tree of knowledge. It's your choice to learn the truth. This time, eating the forbidden truth brings you back to paradise.
Unlike ancient bullae, this modern one has holes in the form of merkle trees, through which you can see the tokens inside, as is appropriate for a transparent ledger like Bitcoin. The tokens can't be tampered with, but can be seen.
The piece comes with a handmade iron stand that has been left to oxidize, bringing out a natural orange color."
