A compelling story about the limits of thought, the constraints of our communication systems, and the lengths to which some people will go to get their message across.
If you walk around lower Manhattan and look carefully, you'll see lots of images like this embedded in crosswalks. 👇
All of these images are by House of Hades - an artist inspired by the mysterious Toynbee Tiles. The original tiles have inspired numerous tribute acts, the most prolific of which must certainly be House of Hades, who's still hard at work in NYC and across the North East. I believe they started in Buffalo, but have been spotted in many cities.
To me, the HOH embeds are continuation of the work done by the mysterious creator of the Toynbee Tiles, which began appearing in Philadelphia in 1983, and have since been spotted up and down the east coast, as far west as Portland, and as far south as Chile.
I'm a nerd and a frequently stop in the middle of intersections to take pictures of HOH's work. I would guess I've got picts of nearly 100 of these - but they are more than a random scavenger hunt, which becomes apparent as you explore the story of the original Toynbee Tiles, which is unfurled in the thrilling full documentary linked below.
It's a compelling story about the limits of thought, the constraints of our communication systems, and the lengths to which some people will go to get their message across.
Watch it! And keep an eye out for HOH as you're moving around NYC.
Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles, by Jon Foy, Colin Smith, Justin Duerr, and Steve Weinik. 87 mins.
