What happened to the Utah monolith – The mystery is being solved – World

Despite the short time it was “exposed” in the Utah desert, the mysterious monolith managed to become the center of international attention. The metal object, estimated to be about 10 feet tall, was first seen on November 18 and disappeared ten days later. At the same time, on November 26, the monolith made its appearance again, this time on a hill in the Romanian city of Pietra.

In an article published Tuesday, the New York Times tries to unravel the mystery that surrounds the monolith, citing the testimony of a photographer who was present at the dissolution of the first. The publication of the American newspaper even leaves suspicions that the first monolith of Utah is the “real one” and that of Romania is a copy of it.

But let’s take a look at the (scant) evidence of the case early on: Utah government officials continued to insist Monday that they had no information about the installation or removal, and possible theft, of the monolith. The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office initially said it would not investigate the case amid allegations of loss of property. He even made a humorous post on his Facebook account depicting nine aliens and noting that these people are “wanted” for the mysterious appearance and disappearance of the monolith.

On Monday afternoon, likely due to the scope of the news, the sheriff’s office reconsidered its position and announced that it was planning a joint investigation with federal authorities into the case.

However, the one who sheds more light on the mystery of the disappearance of the metallic object is the photographer Ross Bernards, 34, who visited the place where the monolith was located last Friday. Bernards drove six hours to get to the Utah desert and photograph the monolith. He used a camera, professional lights and drones and took a series of atmospheric photographs, starring the sculpture. He remained in the desert until dusk, and at 8:40 p.m. he reportedly saw four men approaching the monolith. Working in pairs, the men with shovels struck the monolith hard, causing it to begin to tilt toward the ground. They then began to beat him in the opposite direction, trying to “uproot him.” “That’s why they shouldn’t leave garbage in the desert,” said one of them, according to Bernards, suggesting that he saw the monolith as a kind of lateral line, garbage in the desert landscape.

After a while, the monolith came out of the ground and fell, making a deafening noise. The men then dismantled it into pieces, which they placed on a cart. “Leave no trace,” Bernards told the NY Times as he walked away. He did not take photos of the company for fear of conflict with the men, but his 39-year-old assistant, Marc James Newlands, who accompanied him on his mission, managed to take a few shots with his mobile phone with the men standing on top. of the “demolished” monolith. “It must have taken them 10 to 15 minutes maximum to drop the monolith and break it into pieces. We don’t know who they were and we would do nothing to stop them.” They came determined and had an attitude as if they felt this was their mission, “he said. Newlands.

The photos taken by the 39-year-old with his mobile phone are blurry, but fascinating as they give new evidence for the construction of the monolith: from the pieces that are on the ground, it can be seen that inside it appears to be a construction of hollow plywood, “dressed” with sheet metal. These photos are the only images that show the authors who removed the sculpture and it is assumed that they were not the same people who installed it.

As for the person in charge of its installation, most people think that he is an anonymous artist-activist, something like Banksy of the desert. The monolith was originally attributed to John McCracken, a California artist who died in 2011 and had a predilection for science fiction.