The Game of the Century

Check out this video reenactment of the 1956 chess “game of the century” between Bobby Fischer and Donald Byrne, performed on the brilliant History Chess set by Constantin and Laurene Boym.  Each piece in this chess set is a hand-carved representation of unique and sometimes troubling memories from the last century – the sinking of the Titanic; the Unabomber’s cabin; oil barrels; Macintosh computers; tanks.  Every game played on this set juxtaposes the memories in unique ways.  It’s like that Billy Joel song in statuette form.

From their site:

The history of the 20th Century has often been compared to a chess game: a struggle of opposing political systems, ideologies, brands, and artistic movements.  Every figure in our monumental chess set alludes to a particular historical icon, beginning with the sinking Titanic and ending with the scarred towers of the World Trade Center.  …  Essentially, the set is a collection of 32 different sculptures on board, which the game continuously re-combines in a new composition.

via The Apt: Broadcast