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Sep 12, 2008 7:32 pm US/Eastern
Resurrect Dead On Planet Jupiter?
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
It's a mystery embdedded in asphalt ...
"They're thirty years old and no one knows why they exist or what they mean," said Photo Blogger Steve Weinik of
dovate.com.The distinctive
'Toynbee tiles' can be easily spotted in busy intersections from Philadelphia to Rio Di Janeiro. Yet, the creator has maintained anonymity for more than a quarter of a century.
"Nothing so far has been verified as far as the identity of the person or persons who have made and placed the tiles," said noted Toynbee tile expert Justin Duerr.
So, what do we know so far?
"All of the things referenced on the tiles are real things.
Arnold Toynbee is a real person. He is a British philospher and historian. The planet Jupiter is a real planet, Stanley Kubrick is a film maker with his '2001: A Space Odyssey.' So, all the pieces are real. It's the way they're put together that confounds people," explained Duerr.
It's also what inspired Weinik and Duerr to assist in creating a
documentary on the topic due out in 2010.
"We feel like we have some really concrete answers. But, of course, there will still be mysteries surrounding the tiles," said Duerr.
One of the mysteries lies in the meaning behind the tiles. Many have theorized as to whether the tiles should be literally translated or if they inspire a more thought provoking movement.
"One of Toynbee's ideas was that you have to shoot for something beyond you and in doing that, you will achieve amazing things along the way. So, even if we don't resurrect the dead on planet Jupiter, we can at least make these incredible tiles and place them all over the world," said Duerr.
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