Are the Monoliths Art Installations or the latest conspiracy theory?

Unexpected appearances always get people talking, especially when they seem to happen without any explanation at all. From crop circles to lights in the sky there have been plenty of moments in history when we’ve seen this kind of thing take over the public consciousness. And now, in 2020 – as if we didn’t already have enough to think about – it’s happening again. Utah’s Red Rock Country has become the focal point for the latest unexpectedness with the appearance of a 10ft ‘Monolith’ in the middle of the desert.

What is the Monolith?

It’s a 10ft high three sided metallic object that to observers looks like it has been in that location forever – and yet has never been spotted before. The first person (apparently) to see it was helicopter pilot Bret Hutchins who said it was one of the strangest things that he had ever seen in all his years of flying. The Monolith first appeared on 18th November and has been described as an “anomaly.” The area where it has been seen is very difficult to access, whether you’re in a vehicle or on foot, according to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. And this has, of course, kicked off the conspiracy theories with the most popular being that it is some kind of alien warning or gift.

A space odyssey?

There is no doubt that the Monolith is curious – and it does bear a striking resemblance to the black object that appears in the desert at the start of 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick’s legendary film). That object was placed there by a higher intelligence and seems to teach apes to use tools, which then prepares the ground for the arrival of humans. So, has someone been inspired by the firm and created these Monoliths in response to that or are we living Kubrick in real life?

And then there were two..

Since the first Monolith was reported in Utah many more have started to appear all over the world. A hillside in Romania also has one and there’s now one in the Joshua Tree National Park in California. Other locations that have their own Monolith include the city of Atascadero in California, Oudehorne in the Netherlands and even the Isle of Wight in the UK. In many locations the land owners where the Monoliths have appeared have said that no one has asked permission to put them up.

So, are the aliens coming or is it art?

There’s plenty of speculation about whether the Monoliths are part of a giant, global art installation – which makes more sense to many than the aliens theories. However, they are currently still a mystery. Those who have seen the Monoliths up close described them as “quite magical” and the beauty of the structures is that you can see whatever you want in them – which is one of the wonders of art.

The alien theories surrounding crop circles were debunked when two Brits were outed as the human creators of these puzzling shapes – and maybe we’ll soon hear the same news about the Monoliths. In the meantime, whether they are a human creation or not they are an interesting distraction from some of the less wondrous events in the world right now.

Scott Fleary is a top of the range visual marketing company. To find out more, contact us.