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The work of aliens, from a fan of the Stanley Kubrick movie “2001: Space Odyssey” or from the minimalist artist John McCracken, theories about the origin of the strange metal “monolith” found in the desert of Utah, in the United States, flooded social networks. Now the owner of the gallery representing McCracken’s work says he believes the work belongs to this sculptor, who lived in New Mexico before he died.
It was during a helicopter ride by a team from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources last Wednesday that the strange metallic object was discovered in a remote area of the desert, while flying over the reddish rocky landscape. The mission of the technicians was to account for the population of wild sheep in the region, but the trip was made famous by the unusual discovery that has been traveling the world. The strange 3 to 3.6 meter tall shiny metal structure, embedded in the stone, caught the eye of the biologist on board from the air.
As there is no information about the origin of the mysterious object, the most unusual theories were not long in emerging. The Utah Department of Public Safety published images of the metallic “monolith” and questioned on social media what could be behind it. There were those who jokingly suggested that it was a sign of the presence of aliens, but also those who considered it just an artistic installation or even referred to “2001: A Space Odyssey”, since in the work there are imposing monoliths, created by a exotic species.
For the newspaper “The Art Newspaper” the object resembles the “independent board sculptures” of the minimalist artist John McCracken, who lived in the state of New Mexico (along with Utah) before dying in 2011 and whose work is represented by David Zwirner Gallery.
A spokesperson for this gallery initially told some media that, although it was not the work of the late American artist, they suspected it was the work of another artist in honor of McCracken. However, “the gallery is divided” on the issue, David Zwirner explained meanwhile to “The New York Times.” “I definitely think it’s from John [McCracken]”he stated.
“Who would believe that 2020 would bring us another surprise? Just when we thought we had already seen it all. It looks like this,” adds Zwirner. Questioned by the US newspaper report, Salt Lake City-based metal sculptor Dan Toone denied being involved in the matter.
Structure assembled on site
According to a spokesman for the Utah Department of Public Safety, Lieutenant Street, officials believe it is “someone’s art installation or an attempt to do so.” According to him, the “monolith” (referring to the work “2001: A Space Odyssey”) appears to be made of stainless steel, assembled with “man-made rivets” and embedded in the rock, the depth of which remains a mystery. .
“Someone went to the trouble of using some kind of concrete cutting tool or something to dig almost the exact size of the object and fit it really well,” he explains. “It’s strange,” he says, admitting, however, that there are roads nearby.
According to Lieutenant Street, the authorities do not know how long the mysterious metallic “monolith” has been in that place, although they believe that it has been installed there “since the 1940s or 1950s.”
Installing structures or works of art without authorization on public land administered by the federal government is illegal, recalls the Department of Public Safety. Now it is up to the Department of Land Management to decide whether to investigate the matter or to remove the object of unknown origin in case, for example, it affects wildlife.
The exact location of the metal structure was not disclosed by the authorities, to prevent adventurous fans from traveling to that region of very rugged and rocky terrain and being trapped there, needing to be rescued.
As for the original mission of the team that discovered the mysterious “monolith,” it was “a success,” said the head of the wildlife division. “Sheep are fine. They have a robust population,” he said.
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