Tausig’s crossword is a so-called Schrödinger puzzle, named for the physicist’s hypothetical cat that is at once both alive and dead. In a Schrödinger puzzle, select squares have more than one correct letter answer: They exist in two states at once. “Black Halloween animal,” for example, could be both BAT or CAT, yielding two different but perfectly correct puzzles. Only 10 such puzzles have now been published in Times history.
It’s the theme of Tausig’s puzzle, though, that makes it special. Four entries in Thursday’s crossword can include either an “F” or an “M.” Both are correct; neither is wrong. For example, “Part of a house” can be either ROOF or ROOM. The long “revealer” answer, tying those select entries together and spanning 11 squares smack-dab in the middle of the puzzle, is GENDER FLUID.
This puzzle, with “M”s and “F”s that aren’t fixed, is a masterful blend of subject and structure. “It potentially really evokes what gender fluidity is, which is not moving back and forth between two poles, but actually not being committed to either pole, and potentially existing in many states at different times,” Tausig said.
This is … really cool.
i never really thought of crossword puzzles as an art form, but like… this is art.
yall I fucking bled for this peice of trash pls like it
oh. I thought it was a photo.
Damn it took me 5 minutes to figure out why you wanted people to like a picture of soap. You did such a good job people think you are just posting random pics of soap.
this isn’t the fist time this has happened, I painted lube and everyone was confused that I posted a picture of lube
This is such a Monkey’s Paw kind of talent. Being so talented at hyperrealistic art that people just think they’re photos and don’t care.
BUT HE HAD 7 KIDS AND A WIFE TO FEED SO HE ENDED UP OWNING A GROCERY STORE AFTER SERVING IN WW2
TODAY MY DAD WAS CLEANING THE HOUSE AND FOUND SOME PENCIL DRAWINGS THAT MY GRANDPA DID AND ASKED IF I WANTED TO HAVE THEM AND I
CAN WE JUST LOOK AT THIS
MY BAD WEBCAM PICTURES DON’T EVEN DO THEM JUSTICE LIKE LOOK AT THESE
MY GRANDPA NEVER BECAME A FAMOUS ARTIST
BUT I WANT TO MAKE HIM KNOWN
this is so beautiful hell im crying
i wish ur grandpa could know that almost 1 million people have seen his artwork.
I reblogged this on my old blog, back when it only had about 50K notes. I am so pleased this person’s grandpa’s beautiful sketches have over a million notes now!
CaptainBubblebath 