“We have no idea who put them there,” said another city official. David Turner of the Cincinnati Police force. “I have no idea what they mean,” said Sgt. “I have no idea what they are,” said downtown street inspector Dennis Maddock. In 2001, Cincinnati’s CityBeat magazine conducted an investigative report on three tiles that appeared in the Queen City’s downtown area, but it raised more questions than answers. ![]() There are many theories floating around on what each line means and how they connect, but no one is certain.Īs more people discovered tiles in their cities, an Internet community was born to catalog sightings and discuss theories. “Resurrect Dead on Planet Jupiter” may be a reference to the movie or an article that appeared in a 1983 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer that outlined a concept of bringing Earth’s deceased back to life on that planet. “Kubrick’s 2001” almost certainly refers to the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1968, which follows outer space explorers as they travel to Jupiter. Toynbee, a British historian who studied the rise and fall of historic civilizations. The captivating movie inspired me to do some more research and find out what became of the nine tiles in the Buckeye State.īut first, what does that message mean? The Resurrect Dead filmmakers are still unsure, but “Toynbee” is most likely Arnold J. Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tilesfollows three friends as they track down tiles, research their messages and attempt to discover who was behind them. Guerrilla propaganda, art, vandalism, social commentary - whatever you call it, the bright linoleum plaques have commanded attention for decades and have left the thousands who have stepped on one as they cross a street wondering what it all means.Ī recent documentary aimed to solve the intriguing riddle. What does the message mean? Who placed the tiles? How were they made? And how did the artist get them in the middle of major thoroughfares without ever being seen? including Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo and Cincinnati - and even as far away as Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Santiago, Chile. Soon, more mysterious tiles appeared in other cities, like New York, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.Įven more mysterious is where they were popping up - embedded in asphalt in bustling crosswalks and streets at major intersections in about two dozen cities in the U.S. As we look to Him, I think we can be given the grace to find joy in almost everything.I wrote this article for Country Living magazine.Ī variation of that cryptic message, carved on colorful, folk-artsy tiles, started popping up around Philadelphia in the mid-1980s. ![]() Thank heaven that God gives us the opportunity to find amusement and distraction on a journey and-depending on our perspective-full-blown joy and wonder at little things. But President Monson also said: "Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey." ( General Conference Oct 2008) This trip taught me that joy in the journey can exist at street level. Cook of the Seventy (after a rough day at the office) was: "It's better to look up." ( General Conference Oct 2011) Perspective is sometimes the only thing that gets us through a day. President Monson's now famous advice to Elder Carl B. Nobody is getting rich, but thousands see it each day and many take note. ![]() Nobody knows who does it and no one takes credit. For me this street art was so creative and incredibly provocative. ![]() Someone went to great lengths to create them and inconspicuously place them in a conspicuous place and secure them.permanently. One is smoking a pipe and has an unintelligible plaque next to it. They are all mysterious, anonymous and somehow captivating. As I explored the city I found more than a dozen. On the aforementioned corner I discovered a series of 3 robots each at a different crosswalk all were unique. What was 1 robot soon morphed into many of different styles and colors. Either way it is not supposed to be there. In reality, I think it's made of crosswalk paint tape (one can't pause very long to inspect this kind of medium by nature of it's placement.and the fact that a city bus could be barreling down on you). Yet waking back to the hotel after our stroll through some of Philly's neighborhoods provided a veritable pearl of great price right below my feet at the corner of 12th & Market: a little robot on the crosswalk. I've seen some cool things in Philadelphia that have been on my to-do list for a while.
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