In 2008 Satoshi Nakamoto published a white paper entitled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System” in response to the financial crisis. This text was the birth of a new paradigm, the blockchain.

Based on Nakamoto’s vision, people around the world created a new infrastructure that could be used to transfer assets, information, and much more. Since then, cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, or applications such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have become particularly well-known. But only insiders understand the exact contexts of these abstract terms.

I embarked on a year-long journey during the boom phase of cryptocurrencies between 2021-2022 to visit miners, investors, and fortune seekers who were early adopters of the opportunities offered by these digital currencies. The resulting work documents places and people engaged in the crypto world – from small basement prospectors and industrial mining farms in Russia to high-tech, sustainable factories in Sweden.