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Mighty_Emperor Divine Wind
Joined: 18 Aug 2002 Total posts: 19943 Location: Mongo Age: 42 Gender: Male |
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| KeyserXSoze King of Otters
Great Old One Joined: 02 Jun 2002 Total posts: 1040 Gender: Unknown |
 Posted: 03-01-2006 19:24 Post subject: |
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2006 and Toynbee tiles on...
Update | Quote: | January 2, 2006
2006: a street oddity
Tiles with mysterious message found on Indy crosswalks and across country
By Kevin O'Neal
kevin.oneal@indystar.com
January 2, 2006
Thousands of people walk over it every day in Indianapolis, but few probably notice what has become a mystery stretching across the country and all the way to Brazil in South America.
Someone at some point placed what are known as "Toynbee tiles" in at least two crosswalks Downtown; one remains. The tiles include a phrase linked to film director Stanley Kubrick, whose "2001: A Space Odyssey" still has a loyal following decades after its release.
The tile reads: "Toynbee ideas in Kubrick's 2001 resurrect dead on planet Jupiter." Embedded in the road, the tiles are found in many cities in the Northeast and Midwest.
"They look like they've been there for quite a while," said Dave Smith, a software developer who works Downtown. " I first thought that they were some sort of urban art project."
One of the Downtown Indianapolis tiles remains, at Maryland and Meridian streets. The other tile, one block south at Georgia and Meridian streets, apparently disappeared during the summer. That tile was noted on the "What Is It?" Web site, www .toynbee.net, as early as 2003.
The tiles have spawned a number of Web sites. Some seem to come close to explaining the tiles' significance, while others make claims that contradict those explanations.
The tiles refer to British historian Arnold Toynbee. While Toynbee wrote at length about the rise and fall of civilizations, there's not much in his writings about the resurrection of the dead.
The "2001" refers to the 1968 sci-fi epic directed by Kubrick; its climactic sequence begins in Jupiter's orbit, and fans of the film have spent the past 37 years arguing about its meaning: resurrection or not.
After the discovery of a monolith on the moon, a spaceship is sent to Jupiter to investigate a radio signal from a monolith there. The soft-spoken HAL 9000 super-computer kills most of the spaceship's crew; surviving astronaut Dave Bowman tries to reach the monolith orbiting Jupiter and is pulled into a light show whose meaning is still debated by viewers.
The mystery of the film's ending matches the mystery of the tiles, which apparently first appeared in Philadelphia streets around 1983.
"As far as I know, no one has ever seen anyone lay one down," said Justin Duerr, a Philadelphia house painter and musician who has been following the tiles' history and origin on his Web site, www.resurrectdead.com.
Using a complicated series of reasons, theories on the tiles have ranged from a protest against certain media companies to anti-Semitism. The resurrection angle is especially perplexing.
One noted sci-fi series, Philip Jose Farmer's "Riverworld," does resurrect the dead, but the resurrection takes place along a massive river, not on Jupiter. The sci-fi film "Plan 9 from Outer Space" used resurrection in its plot but is not considered a particularly important cinematic accomplishment, having been listed in the "Golden Turkey Awards" book as the worst movie of all time.
There have been suggestions by tile fans that a short play by writer/director David Mamet may have a closer link to the tiles. Duerr said Mamet's play is about a radio talk show caller who is obsessed with Toynbee and Kubrick.
Exactly how long the tiles have been in Indianapolis is part of the mystery. A spokeswoman for the city's Department of Public Works, for example, was unaware the tiles even existed until told about them by a reporter.
The remaining tile Downtown has survived despite the city's notoriously unpredictable weather. It appears to have been made from linoleum and was somehow pressed onto the asphalt.
The tile seems to be in fairly good shape, although it has been deformed by traffic and is dingy and dirty following a major December snowstorm. |
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| coldelephant |
| Posted: 04-01-2006 13:27 Post subject: |
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Having read that article "2006: a street oddity" I have a few ideas and theories.
I think that the Toynbee thing refers to the rise of human civilisation from monkeys in "2001: A Space Odyssey" and the fall of human civilisation when the computer 'Hal' kills the crew and brings man down (metaphorically).
Although I think that this interpretation on behalf of the Toynbee paving slabs author is a bit simple, and anyway it was not necessarily just Toynbee that talked of the rise and fall of human civilisations.
I think that the ressurection of the dead on Jupiter refers to the movie doesn't it? The interpretation of the flashing lights from the monolith refers to the Toynbee paving slab author's view that the lights / monolith / alien civlilisation that put the monoliths around Sol are resurrecting the crew of the ship or that they are responsible for our transition from monkeys to humans and the transition from humans into the spiritual realm - that we sublime like the aliens did.
That's my interpretation of this whole thing anyway. |
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| tonyblair11 Joined: 28 Jan 2002 Total posts: 2080 |
| Posted: 05-01-2006 08:54 Post subject: |
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Is that worth anything?? I have crowbars and live about 2 hours away....  |
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| Mighty_Emperor Divine Wind
Joined: 18 Aug 2002 Total posts: 19943 Location: Mongo Age: 42 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 09-05-2006 04:34 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Odd Street Notes Point Toward Jupiter, Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey'
By Jeff Douglas
Associated Press Writer
posted: 7 May 2006
6:30 p.m. ET
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Unless you're hunting for them, the weird markers embedded in downtown streets in St. Louis don't draw much attention.
For those who do notice, the words make little sense.
The shoe box-sized marker read: “TOyNBEE IDEA IN KUbricK's 2001 RESURRECT DEAD ON PLANET JUPiTER.''
The plaques, numbering more than 100 and found on dozens of city streets across the United States and in three South American countries, present a riddle that may never be solved: What in the world – or on Jupiter, for that matter – does English historian Arnold J. Toynbee have to do with filmmaker Stanley Kubrick and with raising the dead?
St. Louis has three of the “Toynbee plaques,'' or “tiles,'' as they are often called. Kansas City has one.
Some have called the markers the urban equivalent of crop circles. Others say they're just quirky underground graffiti, some done by copycats.
No one has ever been caught or taken credit for this caper that dates back to at least the 1980s.
A Web site, www.toynbee.net, one of the best sources of information on the tiles, is dedicated to mapping and discussing the phenomenon.
Chris Clark went to the site after she stumbled across the plaques in the 1990s in St. Louis.
“The pleasure of these plaques is not so much in the solution and 'whodunit,''' Clark said. “It's hearing the wild theories and stories that surround them.''
Some have tried to make the connection to Kubrick and his sci-fi classic “2001: A Space Odyssey.'' Internet searches return a load of theories, but the connection with the late filmmaker is vague, at best.
“The meaning of the message on the tiles is pretty open-ended,'' said Justin Duerr, a Toynbee tile fanatic. “You can draw a lot of connections between the two, depending on how far out you want to stretch it.''
Another variation reads: “TOyNBEE IDEA IN MOViE 2001 RESURRECT DEAD ON PLANET JUPiTER.'' Sometimes, there are other cryptic messages as well.
Duerr lives in Philadelphia, the place where many people believe the strange practice of stamping the message on city streets began. A plaque in Santiago, Chile, lists an “A. Toynbee'' and a Philadelphia address, but the address – while real – provided no solution.
In 1983, an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer told of a man named James Morasco who said Toynbee's theory of bringing dead molecules back to life on Jupiter appeared in Kubrick's 1968 film. Many have argued that no such reference exists, but Jupiter is part of the movie.
Toynbee was best known for his writings on the rise and fall of civilizations.
In the late 1990s, Duerr became obsessed with the idea and the plaques that appear to be melted into the streets like crayons on a hot day.
Last year he developed the Web site www.resurrectdead.com to document the tiles, and he says he plans to make a movie on the subject.
Duerr said even after Morasco's death in 2003, new plaques appeared in Philadelphia and elsewhere.
At one time, Duerr said, the tiles could be found every other block. Many have since been paved over or worn down to nothing by traffic.
Many of the plaques look identical, as if made with a cookie cutter. Others change the wording slightly and take on a colorful style of their own. Some include political messages.
One Web site reported a Toynbee tile in Pittsburgh that offered instructions on how to make the plaques using several layers of linoleum and glue. Another tile reads, “You must make and glue tiles!''
That was enough to persuade Duerr to make a tile of his own and slap it to a street in Philadelphia. He said his version looks almost like the others.
His actions present the most obvious explanation: Other people were intrigued enough by their encounter with the tiles to make their own in various cities.
Duerr said there's even a name for such behavior: A meme, pronounced “meem,'' meaning a cultural action that is transmitted and repeated over and over.
“I don't believe there's a lone gunman,'' Duerr said. “I like to look at it as art that exists for a reason other than being in an art gallery.'' |
www.space.com/entertainment/ap_060507_toynbee_jupiter.html |
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| crunchy5 Great Old One Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Total posts: 1951 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 10-05-2006 10:54 Post subject: |
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Very interesting thread, I had avoided because I thought it was an appreciation of Polly Toynbee who I believe works/worked on rad 4, a relative I wonder ? An aging wealthy mentally unwell guy or a copy cat group effort, a mate who read the article said he'd like to make one and park it in the UK, so that's also a possibility. Still I'm glad I took a look at the thread.  |
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| Philo_T But, this one goes to 11! Joined: 10 Jun 2002 Total posts: 1339 Location: slaving away in the bit mines Age: 47 Gender: Unknown |
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| Mighty_Emperor Divine Wind
Joined: 18 Aug 2002 Total posts: 19943 Location: Mongo Age: 42 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 12-05-2006 02:20 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Mysterious Plaques In St. Louis Raise Bizarre Theories
created: 5/10/2006 10:17:21 PM
updated: 5/10/2006 10:21:16 PM
They've been spotted around the world, and right here in St. Louis. They are mysterious markers, embedded in city streets. What do they mean and how did they get there?
Like street signs and stoplights, you've probably passed them dozens of times downtown. Still their message remains a mystery. Passerby Brian Yount jokes, "Maybe it's a message from space. The aliens are trying to contact us."
Slightly bigger than a license plate, they are plaques embedded in the crosswalks. This one reads: "Toynbee idea in Kubrick's 2001. Resurrect dead on planet Jupiter."
In St. Louis, the mysterious markers sit in several intersections: Market and 8th, Market and 7th, and Olive and 6th. Graphic artist Mark Plattner discovered one of them. He says, "I didn't realize until the other day that there were more in St. Louis. I thought mine was the only sighting."
There are numerous websites devoted to deciphering the plaques. They're referred to as "Toynbee tiles" because of their text.
One internet theory is that they were created by a Philadelphia social worker named James Morasco. He believed historian Arnold Toynbee and filmmaker Stanley Kubrick had figured out how to colonize Jupiter with dead people from earth.
The problem with this theory is that Morasco died in 2003 and the plaques keep popping up.
Plattner has his own theory. He thinks someone is perpetuating the project. He says, "I think it's a guerilla art project. I think somebody's just going out, being weird, and enjoying being the mystery artist and the subject of hot debate and conspiracy theories."
We asked art historian Jeffrey Hughes of Webster University about guerilla art, which he says would be akin to grafitti or street performances. Hughes says, "It carries its message out. It confronts the public, but it's still somewhat cryptic. The artist knows what they're doing, but we don't."
There are 130 known plaques, most in the U.S., some in South America. The prevailing theory is that they're made of linoleum, asphalt crack filling compound and tar paper, embedded in the pavement over time.
Mark Plattner finds it fascinating. He says, "Somebody put a piece of art that's going to last many years in public without getting permits, without any kind of permission. They just came in at night, stuck it down and disappeared."
The plaques were first sighted in the early 1980s. And most are in New York and Philadelphia. The ones in St. Louis seem to have been around for at least five years. City officials were not aware of their exisitence. |
www.ksdk.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=96644 |
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| Mighty_Emperor Divine Wind
Joined: 18 Aug 2002 Total posts: 19943 Location: Mongo Age: 42 Gender: Male |
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| Mighty_Emperor Divine Wind
Joined: 18 Aug 2002 Total posts: 19943 Location: Mongo Age: 42 Gender: Male |
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| Mighty_Emperor Divine Wind
Joined: 18 Aug 2002 Total posts: 19943 Location: Mongo Age: 42 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 04-06-2006 17:12 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | une 01, 2006 at 10:40 PM
Mystery street signs deciphered
[There are stranger hobbies....maybe]
A Philadelphia house painter may have the answers to the mysterious 'Toynbee tiles', which carry a strange message referencing British historian Arnold J. Toynbee and Stanley Kubrick's cult movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Over 150 linoleum tiles have been found mysteriously embedded in street asphalt across the world over the past 23 years, carrying a message which has left most who have seen them confused. The message is basically the same on all tiles, although they vary a little in presentation:
Toynbee idea in movie 2001Resurrect dead on planet Jupiter. You must make + glue tiles! You!!!!
Now, one of the researchers studying the strange tiles believes he has solved the mystery. Justin Duerr, a 29-year-old house painter living in the Philadelphia area, says he knows who created the tiles. Furthermore, he says that even though the messages seem nonsensical, they do carry a real message."
I can say that the person that did it was very sincere about the message, and it definitely is not nonsense," says Duerr. "Was it hard to solve [the mystery]? Definitely. I have to say, at least in this case, truth is stranger than fiction, and it's not a letdown."
The tiles were first sighted in Philadelphia in 1983, and new ones were discovered regularly in cities from Washington, D.C. to Rio de Janeiro until 2002. Despite rumors that they are the work of numerous members of a secret society, Duerr believes the tiles are in fact the work of just one man, except for tiles found over the past four years which he says are the work of a 'copycat tiler'.
So what is the real message of the tiles? Duerr isn't letting on just yet, with his theory explored in an upcoming documentary titled Resurrect Dead. But he says that it isn't a clear-cut answer.
"People wonder what it means and how it got there," he says. "It is a wild thing that sends your mind spinning if you let it go. There's also this kind of pop culture thing with it. ... It's like high-brow sci-fi."
Duerr does confirm though that the two main themes - historian Toynbee and Kubrick's 2001 - are in fact linked. "The thrust of this whole thing is all the dead who ever lived on the planet Earth can be resurrected on the planet Jupiter by bringing molecules back together," he says. "The tiles are an attempt to promote this idea."
"I'm skeptical of the concept of the dead being physically resurrected on the planet Jupiter," he says. "But if you take it as a metaphor, Kubrick was definitely trying to say something at the end of that movie about spiritual regeneration, and Arnold Toynbee talks about that a lot. There is a connection, if only one in loose metaphor."
The tiles have become widely known, with former Talking Heads vocalist David Byrne mentioning them in a 1997 Public Art Review article.
"I'm more interested in people who write elaborate messages - visionary graffiti...there's a guy who makes these messages that he feels strongly about and imbeds them in concrete and puts them in the sidewalk," Byrne said in the article. "I don't know how the hell he does it, but they're there. It does have to do with congruencies that he sees between Arnold Toynbee's history and the movie '2001.' That kind of graffiti really touches me and fascinates me."
Duerr says he's pretty sure that he knows who the tiler is. "We've never talked to the person who did them," he says. "We've had one-way communication, but haven't heard anything back from the person." The tiler's name, according to Duerr, is James Morasco, and he died in 2003. To continue the mystery though, Morasco's widow denies that he was involved with the mysterious street markers. |
www.sploid.com/news/2006/06/mysterious_stre.php |
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| mr_macabre Yeti Joined: 03 Dec 2009 Total posts: 49 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 19-12-2011 11:20 Post subject: |
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| Sorry to drag up such an old posting but I only just heard about the Toynbee Tiles at the weekend and find the subject fascinating. Does anyone know of the tiles ever made their way to the UK? I'd love to see one for real if they did. |
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| Gwenar Yeti Joined: 14 Nov 2012 Total posts: 49 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 24-08-2013 19:57 Post subject: |
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Just watched a really nice documentary on it: Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles
It's as much about the people searching for the tiler as it is about the mystery itself. It's from 2011 and on Netflix right now. |
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| skinny Roaring Fortean
Great Old One Joined: 30 May 2010 Total posts: 215 Location: Adelaide Age: 42 Gender: Male |
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| Gwenar Yeti Joined: 14 Nov 2012 Total posts: 49 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 29-08-2013 11:24 Post subject: |
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Nice find. I thought it was going to be "Ancient Aliens" cheesy at first because of the static overlays. Then that stopped and it was this really compassionate look at the whole thing - with some really good background information thrown in. |
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