Paris has over 1,400 Space Invader mosaics hidden across the city. I spent five hours, walked 17 kilometres, and scanned 25 of them. Here is what I found.

Who Is Space Invader?

Space Invader is an anonymous French artist who has been placing small pixel-art mosaic tiles on the walls of cities around the world since 1998. He takes his visual language from 1970s arcade games and recreates it in ceramic tile — permanent, colorful, and impossible to remove cleanly.

Paris has the highest concentration of his work anywhere on earth. Over 1,400 pieces hide in plain sight across every arrondissement. Most people walk past them every day without noticing.

The Flash Invaders App

Invader built a game around his own art. The Flash Invaders app lets you scan genuine mosaics to earn points and rank on a global leaderboard. Each piece is worth between 10 and 100 points depending on its rarity. The app also tells you which pieces have been destroyed — removed by the city or stolen — and which new ones have appeared.

It turns an afternoon walk into a city-wide treasure hunt.

What I Found

The artist tailors his mosaics to their location. Near Rue Bonaparte in the wealthy 6th arrondissement, I found a Napoleon Bonaparte piece worth 50 points — a joke playing on the street name. In the 4th, near the Centre Pompidou, I scanned what I believe is one of the largest pieces in Paris for 100 points. I also found Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and a rare Alien face.

Then there are the fakes. Dozens of copycat artists have placed their own pixel mosaics across the city — Spider-Man, Obelix, Mario. The app rejects them instantly. They do not count.

The Artist Who Went to Space

Here is the fact that stops everyone: in 2012, Space Invader sent one of his pieces into the stratosphere attached to a weather balloon. In 2014, Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti installed one of his mosaics inside the International Space Station. His work has literally left the planet.

My Results After 5 Hours

17 kilometres of walking. 22,000 steps. 5 hours across central Paris. 25 genuine mosaics scanned. 1,300 points earned. A lot of fakes rejected.

I did not find all the rarest pieces — some are hidden in places you need inside knowledge to reach. That is what ten years of living in this city gives you.