{"id":3468,"date":"2025-05-20T20:16:35","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T20:16:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/20\/building-fun-on-bitcoin-parker-day-and-casey-rodarmor-talk-collaboration-and-the-future-of-on-chain-art-and-auctions\/"},"modified":"2025-05-20T20:16:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T20:16:35","slug":"building-fun-on-bitcoin-parker-day-and-casey-rodarmor-talk-collaboration-and-the-future-of-on-chain-art-and-auctions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/20\/building-fun-on-bitcoin-parker-day-and-casey-rodarmor-talk-collaboration-and-the-future-of-on-chain-art-and-auctions\/","title":{"rendered":"Building FUN! on Bitcoin: Parker Day and Casey Rodarmor Talk Collaboration and the Future of On-Chain Art and Auctions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bitcoin Magazine<\/a><\/p>\n

Building FUN! on Bitcoin: Parker Day and Casey Rodarmor Talk Collaboration and the Future of On-Chain Art and Auctions<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Parker Day and Casey Rodarmor\u2019s FUN!<\/em> Collection is an unprecedented synthesis of photographic maximalism and protocol-level innovation\u2014a work that stands alone within the landscape of Bitcoin-native art. Saturated with Day\u2019s bold color palette, surreal personas, and layered identity play, the collection is anchored by Rodarmor\u2019s foundational role as the creator of the Ordinals protocol. Most notably, the series is inscribed directly under Inscription 0\u2014the first inscription ever made using the Ordinals Protocol\u2014marking it as an ontological outlier in the digital art canon. No other collection occupies this same foundational location on-chain, making FUN!<\/em> a conceptual and technical landmark in Ordinals history.<\/p>\n

Now expanded with new reflections from both collaborators, this interview explores the project\u2019s deeper ideological dimensions\u2014from the mechanics of trustless auctions to the ethics of artistic compensation, from pro wrestling and portraiture to capitalist generosity and the social roots of value. Together, Day and Rodarmor form a rare creative pairing: artist and dev, photographer and protocol architect, equal parts absurdity and rigor.<\/p>\n

One of the collection\u2019s most iconic works\u2014featuring Rodarmor himself\u2014is set to headline the Megalith.art<\/a> auction, a Bitcoin-native sale structure that concludes on June 3rd and will be showcased at both Bitcoin 2025 in Las Vegas and its satellite event, Inscribing Vegas. The piece anchors a broader lineup that includes standout contributions from leading digital artists such as Post Wook, Coldie, Ryan Koopmans, FAR, Rupture, and Harto.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s less an interview than a glimpse into a high-voltage collaboration:<\/p>\n

Parker, your photography is known for its bold color, eccentric characters, and fearless exploration of identity and persona. How did this collaboration with Casey come about, and what visual or cultural influences helped shape <\/strong>The FUN! Collection<\/em><\/strong>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

PARKER:<\/strong> Casey and I have known each other since high school. You could even say he was one of my first models\u2014I shot his portrait for my sophomore year darkroom photography class. We kept in touch over the years, and in 2017 he encouraged me to turn my ICONS<\/em> series into crypto art. I passed on that at the time, but in 2021 I did release an Ethereum NFT collection of ICONS<\/em>. Right after that, Casey called me and said, \u201cYo! You need to go even bigger! Do 10k!\u201d And I\u2019m like, \u201cYou know these are all unretouched and shot on film, right?\u201d But with his encouragement and funding, we figured out how to produce 1,000 unique portraits.<\/p>\n

The visual and cultural influences behind FUN!<\/em> are too numerous to name\u2014just a mishmash of pop culture that\u2019s been stewing in my brain since childhood.<\/p>\n

The FUN! collection was released under a CC0 license, meaning anyone can reuse, remix, or recontextualize the work without restriction. In a project so rooted in persona, authorship, and performance, what led you to make that decision\u2014and how do you think about authorship or artistic control in the context of open licensing on Bitcoin? What would you find interesting to see done with the collection beyond your original photography methodology? What kinds of reinterpretations or mutations of the collection would genuinely intrigue you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

PARKER: <\/strong>I love it. As an artist, once you create something and it leaves the studio, it\u2019s out of your hands. The audience shapes the work in their own interpretations. You have no control over it. It seems silly to say \u201cthis is my IP, you can\u2019t do anything with it.\u201d We live in a world of memes, of reproduction ad infinitum. It seems anachronistic in today\u2019s world to clutch copyright with an iron fist. And it\u2019s perfectly in keeping with the ethos of Bitcoin to make the work CC0. In terms of value, the inscriptions are the scarce collectibles. Even more so than any editioned prints will ever be. Their inscriptions\u2019 provenance is on chain, directly descended from inscription 0.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing in particular that I\u2019d like to see or not like to see done with FUN! I just hope people find meaning in it, and make meaning from it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You two have an unusual creative relationship: artist and protocol dev, patron and co-conspirator. Casey, you basically invented a new medium to support Parker\u2019s work. What does it mean to build something enduring together in a space that often prizes individualism?<\/strong><\/p>\n

CASEY:<\/strong> I love it. I mean\u2014I really love it. Parker and I are super complementary. We each have our own strong wheelhouses, and we\u2019re always engaging with each other\u2019s work, but in this very chill, supportive way.<\/p>\n

Like, when we\u2019re shooting, I\u2019ll tell her what I think looks cool or what might work well in the collection\u2014but it\u2019s never directive. It\u2019s more like, \u201cHey, here\u2019s some data. Do with it what you will.\u201d And same goes for the technical stuff. We\u2019ll talk about metadata, domains, the website layout\u2014she gives me her thoughts, and it\u2019s just\u2026 input. Take it or leave it.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re both so solid in our own lanes that it makes collaboration easy. There\u2019s no weird insecurity. She\u2019s the creative force behind the collection\u2014I know that. I\u2019m the technical backbone\u2014and she knows that. That kind of clarity makes it fun.<\/p>\n

And honestly, I\u2019m just really proud of this partnership. We\u2019ve been in each other\u2019s lives in a positive way for so long\u2014since high school. Parker\u2019s given me Bitcoin haircuts. I was bugging her to do NFTs in 2017. Even when we\u2019d go long stretches without talking, we always checked back in.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, how\u2019s it going?\u201d
\u201cSaw you on Twitter.\u201d
\u201cSaw you on Instagram.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just one of those great, long-running collaborations that\u2019s rooted in mutual respect\u2014and a shared willingness to go weird.<\/p>\n

Casey, did you draw on any past modeling experience\u2014or take notes from Raph? And what was it like working under Parker\u2019s direction: more Kubrick or camp counselor?<\/strong><\/p>\n

CASEY<\/strong>: I think I was pretty self-directed for the shoot. I wasn\u2019t drawing on past modeling experience exactly\u2014more like theater kid energy. I\u2019ve always loved professional wrestling. It\u2019s incredibly cool\u2026 and also incredibly formulaic, so I get bored if I watch too much. But every couple of years, I check back in, see what the storylines are.<\/p>\n

For this shoot, I knew exactly how I wanted to ham it up\u2014like a professional wrestler. That wild, sweaty, insane energy. The spiked ball pressed against my face. All the weird faces. American pro wrestling is super operatic, honestly.<\/p>\n

The character I was channeling? Mostly Ultimate Warrior. Parker really nailed the eyes\u2014those classic, intense Ultimate Warrior eyes. He wore wild makeup and had that jacked-up look. Ric Flair was another influence\u2014mainly for the hair. He had this long blond hair, and when it got bloody in the ring, it looked insane.<\/p>\n

As for Parker\u2014definitely more camp counselor than Kubrick. She sets the scene: everything ready, hair and makeup dialed, wardrobe laid out. We talked through the costumes a bit. She\u2019ll give direction, a few hints here and there\u2014but it\u2019s really up to the model to bring it<\/em>.<\/p>\n

You can include that (Casey snaps his fingers.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Yeah. You know? You know.<\/em><\/p>\n

The <\/strong>FUN!<\/em><\/strong> collection features an interactive website where visitors can filter portraits by mood, prop, background color\u2014even astrological sign. What inspired that kind of functionality?<\/strong><\/p>\n

PARKER:<\/strong> Before FUN!<\/em>, I had been thinking about an exhibition that grouped photos based on emotional expression. Even though the personas may appear wildly different, the core humanity is the same. I\u2019ve always tried to equate disparate identities by shooting people in the same way\u2014with simple fabric backdrops that strip away time and place.<\/p>\n

The FUN!<\/em> website (fun.film<\/a>), reflects this idea: difference in sameness, or sameness in difference. It\u2019s a tool for play\u2014but also a way to reflect on identity in a fragmented age.<\/p>\n

Casey, you\u2019ve described yourself as a capitalist\u2014but you\u2019ve also given away tools for free and pursued an almost obsessive elegance in your work. How do you reconcile market belief with this ethic of generosity? And what does that tension mean for the future of Ordinals?<\/strong><\/p>\n

CASEY:<\/strong> There\u2019s absolutely no tension\u2014and that\u2019s because most people just don\u2019t understand what capitalism is<\/em>. Like, I can\u2019t even begin to unpack what people think capitalism means.<\/p>\n

Capitalism simply means the means of production are privately controlled. That\u2019s it. That\u2019s the whole definition. The alternatives? You\u2019ve got two: either (1) violent chaos, or (2) the government owns and allocates all capital. That\u2019s it. Those are your three options.<\/p>\n

So when people say they\u2019re \u201canti-capitalist,\u201d what they usually mean is: \u201cI want the government to control who gets what.\u201d I\u2019m not about that. I\u2019m a staunch capitalist. I allocate my own means of production\u2014my computers, my resources, my energy\u2014how I see fit<\/em>, not how the state tells me to.<\/p>\n

And sometimes? That allocation includes giving things away. That\u2019s not<\/em> anti-capitalist. If the government<\/em> confiscated my stuff and handed it out? Sure, that\u2019s anti-capitalist. But me<\/em> choosing to make something\u2014sometimes selling it, sometimes not\u2014is 100% aligned with the spirit of capitalism.<\/p>\n

People need to get with the program.<\/p>\n

You asked about the tension between generosity and profit in Ordinals? There isn\u2019t<\/em> one. We\u2019re social creatures. It\u2019s great to make money\u2014money\u2019s fun. But the real magic is the people you meet along the way. You\u2019re not gonna be on your deathbed wishing you made more money. You\u2019ll wish you spent more time with people who matter.<\/p>\n

The beauty of capitalism is that it gives us so much productivity that we can afford to be generous. You build so much surplus, you can finally do things that aren\u2019t<\/em> transactional\u2014mentorship, gift-giving, weird creative stuff just because it feels good. That\u2019s the bounty<\/em> of capitalism. It enables non-market joy.<\/p>\n

Honestly? The best moments in this space haven\u2019t been about money. Yeah, the rare times I\u2019ve made some have been fun. But the truly great stuff? The fun projects<\/em>, the weird experiments<\/em>, the friends<\/em>. That\u2019s the soul of it.<\/p>\n

Like, if I had to live in some crummy little place\u2014but had healthcare, enough to get by, and this incredible network of people and ideas\u2014I\u2019d take that any day<\/em> over ten times the money and no friends.<\/p>\n

So I hope the degens are listening.<\/p>\n

Megalith.art\u2019s auction model introduces a novel approach by leveraging atomic swaps for settlement. Could you elaborate on how this mechanism ensures trustless, on-chain finality for high-value digital art transactions, and how it contrasts with the delayed, custodial settlements typical of traditional auction houses like Sotheby\u2019s or Christie\u2019s?<\/strong><\/p>\n

CASEY:<\/strong> So, normally, when you swap goods\u2014say you walk into a pottery store and want to buy a pot\u2014you hand the guy a dollar. Now he\u2019s got your money\u2026 but you don\u2019t have the pot. He could just yell, \u201cGet out!\u201d and poof\u2014you\u2019re down a buck, no pottery.<\/p>\n

Or maybe he gives you the pot first, but you don\u2019t hand over the dollar. You run out the door. Same problem. This is what we\u2019d call a non-atomic swap\u2014one party has to trust the other to follow through.<\/p>\n

Bitcoin changes that. With Bitcoin, you can set up atomic swaps. Meaning: the artist gives up the art and<\/em> the buyer gives up the bitcoin, and either both things happen or neither do<\/em>. Fully trustless.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t guarantee the art will sell, but if it does, the artist definitely<\/em> gets paid. And the buyer definitely<\/em> gets the piece. No middlemen. No weird escrow.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s even better is that in this setup\u2014like the way we\u2019re doing it with Megalith\u2014you can literally see the platform\u2019s cut. It\u2019s all baked in and visible. Super transparent. No funny business. It\u2019s just\u2026 a great way to do things.<\/p>\n

Megalith.art implements immediate, protocol-level split payments to artists and collaborators, minimizing KYC exposure and reducing reliance on centralized intermediaries. How does this system enhance transparency and efficiency in artist compensation compared to the conventional post-auction invoicing and payout processes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

CASEY:<\/strong> Yeah, the problem with traditional auctions is they\u2019re just super opaque. Every artist ends up negotiating a different deal with the auction house. If you\u2019re selling a high-value piece, maybe you can negotiate a better cut. But if you\u2019re a newer artist\u2014or your work sells for less\u2014you\u2019re probably giving up a bigger chunk.<\/p>\n

What we\u2019re doing here is way more transparent. It doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t<\/em> do variable arrangements in theory\u2014but in this case, everyone\u2019s getting the same cut, and you can see<\/em> that they\u2019re getting the same cut. I think that matters\u2014a lot.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve done events before, usually VJing, and sometimes I\u2019ve done it for free. Then I\u2019d find out later that some of the DJs got paid, and I didn\u2019t. That sucks. It just puts a bad taste in your mouth. Either everyone gets paid, or no one gets paid\u2014especially if it\u2019s supposed to be a volunteer thing. I feel pretty strongly about that.<\/p>\n

Same goes for auctions. Some artists will sell for more than others\u2014that\u2019s fine. But they should all get the same percentage cut. That should be enforced on-chain<\/em>, and it should be fully transparent.<\/p>\n

With this system, you can actually see what each artist is getting from each auction. That\u2019s how it should be.<\/p>\n

See more from Parker and Casey at Inscribing Vegas on May 27th, and the Bitcoin Conference Las Vegas May 27\u201329th. Bidding for all <\/em>Megalith.art<\/em><\/a> auction lots concludes June 3rd.<\/em><\/p>\n

Want to experience it in person? The Bitcoin Week pass gives you full access to both Bitcoin 2025 and Inscribing Vegas\u2014plus top-tier afterparties: <\/em>https:\/\/b.tc\/conference\/2025\/bitcoin-week<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This post Building FUN! on Bitcoin: Parker Day and Casey Rodarmor Talk Collaboration and the Future of On-Chain Art and Auctions<\/a> first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine<\/a> and is written by Dennis Koch<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bitcoin Magazine Building FUN! on Bitcoin: Parker Day and Casey Rodarmor Talk Collaboration and the Future of On-Chain Art and Auctions Parker Day and Casey Rodarmor\u2019s FUN! Collection is an unprecedented synthesis of photographic maximalism and protocol-level innovation\u2014a work that stands alone within the landscape of Bitcoin-native art. Saturated with Day\u2019s bold color palette, surreal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":3469,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3468","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bitcoin"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3468"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3468\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digkrypton.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}