The Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) recently came across a curious metal monolith planted in the middle of the desert. Its origin is still unknown, but many suspect a tribute to the film 2001:A Space Odyssey .
The discovery was made a few days ago quite by chance by the crew of a Utah Public Safety helicopter, responsible for counting sheep of America during a joint mission with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR). These animals live in some of the most rugged and remote areas of the state, capable of withstanding harsh weather conditions. That said, the structure, which measures a little over three meters high , was there, alone and buried in the ground.
Why is that monolith there? How did it get so far? And for how long? For now, these questions remain unanswered.
For some it would be an art installation obscure, when others see a clear resemblance to the monolith from 2001:A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick (1968), based on a screenplay co-written by Kubrick and novelist Arthur C. Clarke. As a reminder, this one is deposited by an unknown intelligence in order to give a little "boost" to the evolution of humanity. Note that in the movie the monolithic structure is black, while there it "glows" much more. Its brilliance thus contrasted sharply with the huge red rocks that surrounded it.
Some observers have also compared the monolith to sculptures by artist John McCracken, who lived in New Mexico and New York until his death in 2011, The Guardian .
The structure is still intriguing. "That's the weirdest thing I've encountered down there in all my years of flying. We used to joke that if one of us suddenly disappeared, we would all start running,” pointed out Bret Hutchings, one of the crew members, interviewed by KSL, the local television channel.
Although revealing the exact location of the structure could be an effective means of reviving the tourist industry of the region, hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, for the time being, the DPS is keeping these details secret. Still, the person or those who dropped it there probably made a lot of effort, as the area is so remote (hence the deployment of a helicopter to count the mouflons).
