The Power of the Written Word with Bitcoin Poet Carlo Leone Spiller
by Chase Smith
Before Bitcoin’s genesis block, there was its whitepaper — a 3,319-word document that explains the technology and foundations of the protocol. For many, reading the whitepaper was the first step in having a deeper understanding of Bitcoin.
Arguably, the whitepaper, now available in almost 40 languages, has been integral to Bitcoin’s success, helping to transform banking, create billions in new wealth, and inspire a whole industry of copycats — its impact so profound that some consider it a modern literary work of art.
The importance of Satoshi’s written words and their meaning was no more evident than during the Blocksize Wars when advocates on both sides clung to Satoshi’s whitepaper and his posts on the Bitcointalk forum to reinforce their positions. Despite the debates on what that vision was, there is no doubt his words were held in high regard and thoroughly analyzed.
Poet Carlo Leone Spiller, Raretoshi’s first literary artist, also understands the power of the written word and, like Satoshi before him, is using it to educate others on Bitcoin.
Bitcoin Poems Series
‘Bitcoin Poems’ is a collaboration between Carlo Leone Spiller and visual artist A.M. Hagen. The series comprises 21 original compositions, a nod to the total number of bitcoin, and is both a physical and digital art piece. Each purchase entitles the buyer to the following:
- Physical oil painting on canvas (18 x 24 cm)
- Signed high-quality print of the poem
- NFT (JPEG 2845 × 3843px)
- Certificate of Authenticity
When creating the NFT, each poem is digitally imprinted on a scanned version of the physical oil canvas and is the only version that combines both the fine art and literary aspects of the work.
Spiller’s second Bitcoin poem is now up for auction and will be available to bid on through Saturday, September 25. For updates, you can follow on Twitter @Raretoshi or join the Raretoshi Telegram.
Metapoetry
Stylistically, Spiller cites Dieses Buch trägt diesen Titel and NFT poet Yevgeniy Breyger as his biggest influences on the project.
Dieses Buch trägt diesen Titel is a 2017 book in German by an unknown author that uses its self-awareness (as a collection of poems) to analyze poetry in and of itself.
Spiller uses a similar meta-approach in his Bitcoin poem series in the hopes of readers uncovering new truths and meaning.
“Just like how advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, exceptional language is magic itself,” Spiller explained to me. “By rearranging language and perspective, we can try to create beautiful sentences that stay forever in the collective consciousness.”
Artistic Complements
When Spiller was looking for talented artists to properly stage the poems, he naturally called on Hagen, who had recently made and gifted him a watercolor sketch for his birthday.
“I see it every day from my desk,” Spiller said. “It was obvious for me to ask her because her painting was present when I wrote the poems.”
One of the other reasons Spiller found the partnership so accommodating was her style was reminiscent of classical Swiss painter, Ferdinand Hodler (yes, you read that last name correctly).
He explained that her dreamy renderings of neorealistic landscapes were a perfect companion to his poetry, or as he best put it: “her paintings take you to a space where bitcoin can roam wild and free.”
From the onset of their collaboration, the creative chemistry between the two was obvious. Soon after reading all 21 poems, Hagen had clear ideas in mind for each one. Those images conjured during the poem read-throughs, along with frequent trips to her countryside cabin, served as the inspirations for the visuals.
“If bitcoin are strange animals, Carlo Leone Spiller caught them. They live in his poems now. I want to live there, too,” Hagen said of their collaboration.
A Preview of the Third Bitcoin Poem
Buyers can expect the third coming Bitcoin poem to go up for auction on Raretoshi by the end of next week.
According to Spiller, the poem explains a unique aspect of Bitcoin using the literary techniques found in Ben Lerner’s Angle of Yaw (another inspiration of his).
When asked why the third painting had what looks like a kitchen fork nestled among its dunes, Spiller replied with a smirk, “we can only speculate.”
Maybe when the poem is released, the fork’s meaning will become fully apparent, or again, maybe not. Perhaps, it is not a fork at all. One thing is certain, however: Spiller’s poetry will persuade, teach and guide us to the conclusion he wants.
That is the incredible power of the written word.
