Brew: This video is sponsored by NordVPN. Chill: Grill, Grill! Whatever happened to that Monolith that showed up in Utah? Grill: Monolith? What are you talking about? Chill: This thing! It’s like from that movie Space Odyssey! Grill: Uhhhhhh... Brew: In November 2020, an alien monolith straight out of Arthur C. Clarke’s magnum opus 2001: A Space Odyssey has appeared in Utah, and the world could not get enough of it and everything after. Was it really a piece of space-age alien tech, sent here by mysterious extraterrestrial benefactors? Or is the answer to this mystery a little closer to home? Today’s episode covers an ongoing story, so some details may be subject to change. We also ask you not to seek out any of the places mentioned in this story. And with that out of the way, let’s get into it! Grill: So it was aliens, right? Right? Brew: If I had my way, of course it would be aliens. The first monolith was discovered on November 18th by the Utah Department of Public Safety's Aero Bureau. Officers were flying overhead working with the Division of Wildlife Resources to count bighorn sheep for a sheep census, when someone in the helicopter noticed a strange… thing on the ground below them. Bret Hutchings, the pilot of the helicopter said that "One of the biologists ... spotted it, and we just happened to fly directly over the top of it”. They found that it stood about 12 feet high, and sat in the centre of a small outcropping. Hutchings said that it didn’t seem like it was dropped, but planted specifically at that spot. The Utah Department of Public Safety however, was quick to tell the public that placing art in public spaces without permission is illegal “no matter what planet you're from”. The location of the monolith remained, at first, a secret, since the DPS didn’t want anyone coming to see it out of fear that folks would get stranded as the object was far from civilization. This didn’t stop many internet sleuths from ascertaining the location of this space oddity. Reddit user Tim Slane cross referenced images of various canyons via Google Maps, to images from the DPS helicopter flight that discovered the object in the first place to locate it. He noted that little clues like the cliff’s height, the erosion patterns, and the flatness of the floor indicated that it was a spot not usually flooded, and was likely at the top of a watershed, a series of lowland areas that flow water, via rivers and streams, into a larger body of water at the bottom. He scoured the Utah landscape for watersheds until he found what he was looking for— A small canyon, cleared of vegetation, with an odd protrusion in the center. There it was. He also noted that satellite images on Google Earth from 2013 and mid-2015 showed no sign of the object, but images taken after October 2016 do. So whoever planted the monolith must have done so after 2015. After locating the object, Slane posted the coordinates online for all to see, which inspired adventurer David Surber to go take a look. Surber found the object at those coordinates, and quickly ran some tests. He found that the monolith was not magnetic— David: Y’all wanted the magnet test… So I didn’t bring a strong enough one, but not sticking. ‘Kay, those are the attempts. Brew: —and sounded like a cardboard box when you knocked on it, hinting that it was hollow. He also posted instructions on how to drive to the location which spurred an influx of tourists taking photos like madlads. Other visitors later noted that the monolith was likely not built by aliens, that is unless aliens made a habit of building their extraterrestrial technology out of materials you can buy at Home Depot. Specifically, sheets of metal and rivets. Grill: Oh yeah. My favourite scene from ET is when the alien ship shows up and we found out his family was just doing some shopping at Home Hardware. Brew: The plot thickens though, for only 10 days later, on the 28th of November, the object vanished without a trace. On the following Sunday the Bureau of Land Management announced that the monolith had been removed by an “unknown party”. Grill: Who took it away? ALIENS TOOK IT BACK! Brew: Unfortunately not. Fortunately for us, photographer Ross Bernards had driven six hours to see the monolith, and after taking some really good photos, watched as a set of four men stalked into the canyon, wheelbarrow in tow, with the express intent of removing it. They quickly set to work rocking the object back and forth, attempting to dislodge it from its pedestal. Bernards overhead one say, “This is why you don’t leave trash in the desert” as they popped the monolith out. The men then broke it apart, set it in the wheelbarrow, and hauled it away in a truck. As they left, one man turned to them, and said “leave no trace”. Chill: Leave only footprints, and take nothing but pictures, right? Brew: Exactly! In addition to that, a number of days after the monolith was removed, a video released on Tiktok and Youtube from a user called “Mr Slackline” that shows the point of view of one of the men as they haul away the object. Grill: So who the hell are they? Brew: Well, on December 2nd, Utah residents Andy Lewis and Sylvan Christensen came forward saying that they were the individuals who removed the original monolith. Christensen said the reason they removed it was because there “are clear precedents for how we share and standardize the use of our public lands, natural wildlife, native plants, fresh water sources, and human impacts upon them, things like this don’t help”. A great influx of tourists could destroy the beauty of the landscape, so far untouched by grubby human hands. Remember, this monolith was discovered during a census of the bighorn sheep population, so any human intervention could harm their habitat. The Bureau of Land Management has also said that the location has no amenities, so tourists were throwing garbage on the ground, driving over vegetation, and even defecating wherever they liked. Grill: Ew! What’s wrong with these people? Brew: Your guess is as good as mine. But it didn’t end there! On November 26th, a second monolith was discovered outside of the Romanian city of Piatra Neamţ. Chill: It’s like the first one! Something sus is going down, homie. I swear. Brew: The main theory so far, as set out by journalist Robert Iosub, is that this second object is a shoddy knockoff of the first. Appearing to be built by a presumably local welder, who quickly threw it together and placed it nearby. Grill: A knockoff? How do they know? Brew: Well, first the Utah Monolith was neatly riveted together, not welded, and second, the Romanian Monolith was covered in random… circles? squiggles? Perhaps added to increase the “alienness” of the object which the Utah Monolith did not have. Those who found it also mentioned that this monolith was not embedded as firmly as the first, suggesting it was placed there quite stealthily. This, of course, didn’t prove that whoever planted the first didn’t plant the second, but it too mysteriously vanished 5 days later on December 1st. The story continues though. Early in the morning of December 3rd, a third monolith was found in California, on a mountain outside Atascadero. When discovered, onlookers found that it was not planted firmly like the one in Utah, it could easily be pushed over. This suggests to some that it could be another copycat, but it’s all speculation at this point. This 3rd monolith was, like the first two, also removed, however the motives behind this incident are a bit less scrupulous than the first. Vice first reported that the 3rd monolith had been removed and replaced with a wooden cross by a group of right-wing vandals. They toppled the pillar proclaiming “America first” and “Christ is king”, before launching into racist, and anti-immigrant tirades. They also called the monolith quote, “gay”. Chill: They sound like the biggest losers on Earth. Grill: More like the biggest losers in the galaxy. Chill: Speaking of galaxy, Grill, do you wanna watch the new Star Floors movie? I hear that the space janitor finally gets to use his powers to defeat the evil King Palpabean! Grill: Sure, but it’s not on the Canadian Notflix. Chill: No problem! We have NordVPN remember? Grill: Oh yeah! You can use it to change your location settings and watch whatever you want, from wherever you want! Oh hey isn’t it Nord’s 9th birthday soon too? Chill: To celebrate, they’re giving away a free month subscription when you purchase the 2-year plan for 70% off! And they’re also giving away a surprise gift! Grill: Ooh! What’s the surprise gift? Chill: You can win an extra 1-month, 1-year, or 2-year subscription! Surprise! Grill: So you’re saying that if I get the regular 2-year plan, that’s already discounted with our code, I could win an extra 2-years on top of that? Hot dog! Chill: Yep! Just go to nordvpn.com/brew, and use promo code, “Brew”! Brew: Now, if you boys are done talking about movies, the question still stands. Who made the original pillar in Utah in the first place? The prevalent theory at first was that the monolith was created by the late minimalist sculptor John McCracken. The David Zwirner gallery, which exhibited his work since the 90s, saw the object and certified it a genuine McCracken. But if that was true, then McCracken managed to pull it off without spilling the beans to anyone. Not even his close family. That being said, James Hayward, a friend of McCracken and artist himself, was not so optimistic. He said that the corners on the monolith “are made by a machine called a brake, which bends metal. When you bend metal with a machine, the corners are not sharp and crisp. They’re rounded”, whereas McCracken’s sculptures were made by hand, specifically without using machine tools in order to make his sculptures with fine edges. In fact, when looked more closely, McCracken’s other work doesn’t look much like the Utah monolith anyway. His work typically involves rectangular boards of plywood covered in fibreglass and painted. They do look a hell of a lot like the monolith from Kubrick’s, 2001: A Space Odyssey though. Not only this, but if you remember the monolith was installed in and around 2015, except McCracken died in 2011. On December 3rd, an Instagram artist collective called “themostfamousartist” broke the news that they’re now selling “Authentic Alien Monoliths”. Their original post reads “any collectors interested in an official alien monolith? Asking 45k. Includes documentation and signed”. Grill: Wait, did they just admit to a crime? Brew: Not, technically. The spokesperson for the collective, a gentleman by the name of Matthew Christopher Monahan, or Matty Mo, has not directly said that they were behind the first monolith, because doing so would be admitting to a crime. He said “I can say we are well known for stunts of this nature and at this time we are offering authentic art objects through monoliths-as-a-service.” It’s a possibility that this artist collective might simply be jumping on the bandwagon to take credit, but without a full admission or proof that they planted it, we can’t be sure. Then, another one showed up in Melbourne on December 8th, and the creators claim to have placed both of the Romanian and the Utah monoliths as well. They offered no proof though, and in a video called “Why did I build Monoliths all around the World?” they even pay someone else to build one for them. It appears to be a cross-promotional stunt between Youtubers “I Did a Thing” and Aussie Netflix show, “Aunty Donna’s Big Ol House of Fun”. Their timeline doesn’t add up though. The Utah Monolith had been planted sometime before October 2016, while they “claim” they planned it in December 2019. Brew: So it just looks like they were capitalizing on a viral sensation. Speaking of which, many have suggested the men who removed the first monolith did so because they wanted to be famous, but that’s not entirely true. Andy Lewis, one of the men who removed it, made an Instagram post on December 20th, 2020, stating that they had donated the Monolith to the Bureau of Land Management “so that they can launch a full investigation surrounding who installed the art, why, and figure out a place for it to live now”, because “the idea behind the art — as well as the art was beautiful” but, they “also wanted to create discussions behind land management techniques and the importance of the natural world, its native people, plants, and inhabitants.” OK, so in the months since we began working on this episode, over 100 monoliths have been discovered across the globe. That includes one made of... gingerbread, which doesn’t really count, and one that was discovered by Hide the Pain Harold, the internet’s favourite man on the edge. I can’t cover all of them. In cases like this I really wish I had an assistant. There’s just… so many to sort through. I’m so tired. Grill: So… it’s not aliens. Brew: Probably not. Grill: And it was just some jerks looking to make money? Brew: Well, whether or not they are the original creators, and whether or not their intention was to simply make money, we may never know. At the end of the day, there are positives and negatives from this whole situation. Multiple environmental agencies have said the environmental impact of these objects would be disastrous, not to mention the danger inherent with people running off into the wilderness could be tragic. But it was a really nice break from 2020. A globe spanning alien mystery will do that. Chill: I still think it sucks that only rich people can have them now. What’s the point of a mysterious alien monolith if you know that Geoff Buttzos can just buy one like it’s a print off Etsy? Brew: I’m reminded of what John Green has said. John: The maybes are essential to what makes art feel visceral and thrilling to me, and I know it’s human nature to seek answers and I hope we find them, but in the meantime, let’s revel in the mystery” Brew: And now we have the answers, but wasn’t it more fun without them?
