Didier Pironi

The Crypto Dysfunctional Map

In his blog post The end of my childhood, Vitalik recently introduced the Crypto Map, an attempt to illustrate the crypto space and its participants working as intended, in perfect harmony.

Didier Pironi

Vitalik Buterin - The Crypto Map (2024)


'As intended' does not imply it is going according to the original plan, though.

Going to the Denver Art Museum a few days ago was, as expected, refreshing. Exploring the Phillips Collection was a great experience. I rediscovered the works of Georgia O'Keefe. She once said or wrote:

I had to create an equivalent of what I felt about what I was looking at - not copy it.

Returning to the crypto space, one can wonder how it is working as felt, rather than intended. This visit to the museum fueled my so-called creativity, leading to the creation of the Crypto Dysfunctional Map, where a blend of various artistic movements, personal inspirations, and ideas collide with Vitalik's map. It's a bang that gives place to humour, satire and caricature, where the sparks of memefied objects spread on the horizon, giving birth to a unique culture.

  • Token holders and DeFi users become satirical portraits of the 'have fun staying poor' meme.

  • Intellectuals are curious watchers, witnessing the drama and plots unfolding in real-time.

  • Pragmatic users are transformed into the people of the abyss, wrecked, begging, and aspiring to The Promise Airdrop.

  • Application builders are the constructors upon which these complex mechanisms occur.

But what truly matters is not what the artist sees, but rather what you see through the artist's eyes.

Would the irony of the satire peak if it were transformed into a component of the puzzle it aims to portray? Where the 'art' creator, yet absent from the original map, might be the map itself. And if the creator's creation ignites fervent demand, could the creator become the subject of their own satirical portrayal?

The Crypto Dysfunctional Map, co-created with my friend Ceaze