Coup de com' or eccentric artistic approach? Anyway, the mystery continues to thicken around the story of the metal monolith, discovered in mid-November in Utah (United States) by local officials then removed by four men, Friday , in the night.
If the "abduction" was claimed in a video published Monday on Youtube by tightrope walker and extreme sports enthusiast Andy Lewis, no additional explanation has been issued. Were they the installers of the triangular structure over 3.50 meters high? Nobody knows. Not even the photographer Ross Bernards, present on site Friday evening and who described the scene on his Instagram account.
News of the discovery quickly went viral online, with many noting similarities to the strange alien monoliths greatly accelerating mankind's progress in the sci-fi classic "2001 A Space Odyssey." a film by Stanley Kubrick and a novel by Arthur C. Clarke.
On the Internet, some observers have especially noted a resemblance to the avant-garde works of John McCracken, an American sculptor who lived for a time in the neighboring state of New Mexico and died in 2011. However, no formal link could be established. between the famous "monolith" and the sculptor.
However, the track is not ruled out. His son, Patrick McCracken, recently said in an interview with the New York Times that the monolith could be his work. Twenty years ago, the artist had also shared with him his desire to "leave his works in lost places so that they can be discovered later".
The polished metal object was however placed after his death, it is a virtual certainty. This is what the Numerama site specifies, based on the work of Internet users, taken with passion for this intriguing monolith. By finding the GPS coordinates of the place, then crossing them with the archives of the "Google Earth" service, these investigators from the Net believe that it was deposited on the red soil of Utah between 2015 and 2016.
Also, the monolith is definitely not of "extraterrestrial" origin. Contacted by Le Parisien, a user who visited the site confirmed that it was made of "stainless steel" and "three separate riveted parts". What reinforce the thesis of a "work", designed to intrigue those who would discover it, years, even decades later. Also attests to this, the remote place - it is an understatement - in which it was found.
Note, finally, that a similar structure was discovered recently in Romania, then dismantled without further explanation than for its "cousin" in Utah. The hypothesis of a publicity stunt, linked to the discovery of Utah, is favored this time. In a video posted on Facebook, a man jokes about what he describes as a vulgar reproduction of the Utah monolith: "In reality, it's just an old piece of scrap that someone put there", can we hear him say. "We are not even able to make a decent replica," Alexandru wrote, while others noted the obvious presence of weld marks.
The monolith has, moreover, been placed opposite a tourist spot in the Piatra Neam region. Its mayor, on Facebook, had fun with the little story, while continuing to fuel the mystery. "Beyond the conspiracy theories that may be tempting, I would like to see this event as further proof that our city is special. For earthlings and (perhaps) not only", he slips.
