There is a chance the reclusive tiler himself will be there, but no one will know who he is. “That’s the emotional spine of the film.”Īt the International House screenings, Foy will be joined by Duerr and other Toynbee Tiler chasers. “I feel like Justin reaching out to this person because he felt such a connection to this person–that was the story for me,” said Foy. But the elusive, and likely deranged, folk artist is never seen. The film is structured like a noir mystery, with lists of suspects, dead-end leads, and lots of shadows and harsh lighting.Īfter about 80 minutes of false-starts and circumstantial evidence, the probable tiler is identified. Somewhere there’s a human being that’s behind all of this.”ĭuerr had been obsessively pursuing the Toynbee tiler for years before filmmaker Jon Foy joined the investigation in 2007. A tile measuring approximately 11 x 17 inches in the crosswalk. “It’s totally real, it’s physical, it’s tangible. Toynbee Tile - 15th &n Chestnut, Philadelphia - Toynbee Tiles on. “The tiles are being cut out with a blade, a hand is holding the blade,” said Justin Duerr in the film. TOYNBEE IDEA IN MOVIE 2001 RESURRECT DEAD ON PLANET JUPITER Q: What are the Toynbee tiles A: They are graffiti, guerrilla propaganda, outsider art. The message is contained on a tile surface. You can read about all of Pennsylvania’s Roadside Oddities and other curious attractions if Weird Pennsylvania.WHYY thanks our sponsors - become a WHYY sponsor A strange message is embedded in the streets of dozens of cities across the world, and Philadelphia is no exception. The second was an article from 1983 printed in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the same newspaper mentioned in the manifesto tile, and the third was a play published in 1985 titled ‘Four A.M.’ by playwright and film director David. After all this time, it appears that the Toynbee Tiles may remain a mystery forever. The Toynbee tiles, also called Toynbee plaques, are messages of unknown origin found embedded in asphalt of streets in about two dozen major cities in the. The first was an address for a home in South Philadelphia which was discovered on a Toynbee Tile in Santiago, Chile. None have come up with any concrete facts yet. Dozens of websites chronicle their locations and search for answers as to the identity of their creator and the reason for their existence. Toynbee Tiles have become a cult phenomenon. Many tiles have been destroyed due to road construction, although cities generally don’t spend any money removing them, as their messages contain no vulgarity or profanity.Īfter so many years of mysterious appearances, As cars continue to pass over them, they slowly degrade the tarpaper, until it has completely peeled away, revealing the messages below.

As the glue dries, they stay affixed in one position. Toynbee Tile near corner of W 43 and Fifth Ave Februat 12:44 PM after a light rain via Wikimedia Commons with usage type - Creative Commons License. As cars drive over the tiles, they are pressed into the asphalt. Then, they are placed in the middle of busy intersections. They are wrapped in tar paper and coated in glue. Toynbee Tiles are colorful mosaic tiles with enigmatic messages about resurrecting the dead on Jupiter. Duerr, an artist, Toynbee expert and archivist, is the primary character in an award-winning 2011 documentary by Jon Foy called Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles. 2) Please if you can have the street location in the description. 1) The tile must be located in Philadelphia. If you would like to add photographs please see rules below. This group is for Toynbee Tiles in Philadelphia only.

The tiles are affixed to asphalt with a rather ingenious method. TOYNBEE IDEA IN KUBRICKS 2001 RESURRECT DEAD ON PLANET JUPITER.

Toynbee tiles philadelphia