Alan Turing | The Roots of Crypto

| Created for The Roots Exhibition |

The roots of crypto and blockchain technology lie in the work of Alan Turing.

Cryptography is essential to blockchain, where information is shared in encrypted format by enormous networks of computers, without any hierarchy. During the Second World War, governments became aware of the relevance of cryptography for coding and de-coding information. The story of Alan Turing, a brilliant British mathematician regarded as the father of cryptography, is already part of popular culture. As recounted in the film The Imitation Game, he managed to decipher the codes of “Enigma,” – the machine used by the Germans for their communications during World War II, which gave an enormous advantage to the allies.

Although Alan Turing is one of the most outstanding scientific figures of the twentieth century, whose contributions had a historical impact, he died as a criminal for his homosexuality. The pixel sorting effect represents the tragic death of this extraordinary genius.