Utah monolith
Metal pillar in Utah, US
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Utah monolith was a metal pillar that stood in a red sandstone slot canyon in northern San Juan County, Utah, United States. The pillar was 3 m (9.8 ft) tall and made of metal sheets riveted into a triangular prism. It was unlawfully placed on public land between July and October 2016; it stood unnoticed for over four years until its discovery and removal in late 2020. The identity of its makers and their objectives remain unknown.
| Utah monolith | |
|---|---|
The monolith at its original location | |
 Location where the monolith was found | |
| Artist | Unknown |
| Year | 2016 |
| Type | Metal sculpture |
| Medium | stainless steel or aluminum (assumed) |
| Dimensions | 291 cm × 50.6 cm × 58 cm (114.5 in × 19.92 in × 23.0 in)[1] |
| Condition | disassembled |
| Location | formerly Lockhart Basin in San Juan County, Utah, United States; 27 km (17 mi) southwest of Moab, currently held at undisclosed location by the Bureau of Land Management |
| 38°20′35.1″N 109°39′58.3″W | |
Utah state biologists discovered the monolith in November 2020 during a helicopter survey of wild bighorn sheep. Within days of its discovery, members of the public found the pillar and made their way to the remote location by using GPS mapping software and cross referencing data with the likely flight path of the survey team. Following intense media coverage, it was covertly removed on November 27, 2020, by four residents of Moab, Utah. After nearly a month in their possession, the monolith was given to the Bureau of Land Management and is currently in their custody.[2][3][4]
Following the discovery of the monolith, over two hundred similar metal columns were erected in other places throughout the world, including elsewhere in North America and countries in Europe, South America and Australia.[5][6] Many were built by local artists as deliberate imitations of the Utah monolith.[7]
Discovery
On November 18, 2020, wildlife officials with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources were in southeastern Utah conducting a survey of bighorn sheep from a helicopter piloted by the Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS).[8] While flying over a slot canyon in a remote area, one of the wildlife officials spotted a metal pillar and told the pilot, Bret Hutchings, to fly over the location again.[9] Hutchings described the moment:[10]
One of the biologists is the one who spotted it and we just happened to fly directly over the top of it. He was like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, turn around, turn around!" And I was like, "What?" And he's like, "There's this thing back there – we've got to go look at it!"
Hutchings said that the pillar looked manmade and had been "firmly planted in the ground".[10] Hutchings added: "We were kind of joking around that if one of us suddenly disappears, then the rest of us make a run for it."[11]
On November 20, the Utah DPS posted a photo of the pillar on Instagram.[12] On November 23, the Utah DPS released videos of the pillar on their website but did not disclose the pillar's location, citing safety concerns.[13]
Location and dating
The pillar was installed by unknown individuals in a red sandstone slot canyon in San Juan County, Utah.[14] It was located on public land in an area known as Lockhart Basin,[15] which was part of Bears Ears National Monument at the time of installation.[fn 1] The site has no public services such as parking, restrooms, or cell phone service.[17]
The exact location of the monolith was not disclosed by the Utah DPS to prevent people from endangering themselves while trying to find it.[10] Within a day of the Utah DPS announcement, Reddit user Tim Slane identified the object on Google Earth by tracking the flight path of the state biologists' helicopter and comparing it with the videos the Utah DPS released.[18] Slane told The Verge that "he was aided by clues like the cliffs' height, the canyon's erosion pattern (indicating a more exposed area), and a flat floor suggesting it wasn't frequently flooded (and, by extension, was near the top of a watershed)".[19] Google Earth satellite images suggested that the monolith was installed between August 2015 and October 2016,[20] and that surrounding scrub vegetation had been cleared.[19] Dutch journalist Nouska du Saar, who specializes in open-source intelligence, used Maxar satellite images to determine that the monolith appeared between July 7, 2016, and October 21, 2016.[21][22]
Within 48 hours of the Utah DPS announcement, members of the public had reached the site and uploaded photographs and videos of the monolith to social media.[18] Local residents began to fear that a surge in foot traffic could damage local Native American sites and artifacts.[23]
Description
The metal structure was a triangular prism with three sides that stood approximately 9.5 ft (2.9 m) tall above the bedrock, with each of the sides being about 23 in (58 cm) wide.[1] The structure was not magnetic and had a hollow interior.[24] It appeared to be made of stainless steel or aluminum sheets 1⁄8 inch (3 mm) thick, joined together with blind rivets.[25] There was silicone caulk or epoxy along the base,[26] and the metal produced a sound "like a cardboard box" when hit or knocked on.[27]
Dave Sparks of the reality television series Diesel Brothers went to the monolith and described it in a video he posted on Instagram: "They got a concrete saw and they cut it into the red rock there. You can see right here on the bottom where they had a couple of over cuts with the saws."[25] Wendy Wischer of the University of Utah's School of Fine Art said: "One person alone could not have done it so there is a group of people who have some knowledge of it somewhere. Most artists want some recognition for what they are doing but this seems to include a level of humor and mystery as part of the intention."[18]
On first discovering the pillar, the Utah DPS described it as a "monolith",[13] a term later repeated by other major media outlets.[28] Although the word monolith refers to a single great stone, the word has also become closely associated with the Monolith from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), to which the Utah monolith bears circumstantial resemblance.[12]
Attribution
The object was compared to works by artist John McCracken (1934–2011), who lived in the Southwest, believed in the existence of extraterrestrials, and expressed an interest in leaving behind a piece of artwork in the desert.[29] The object resembled the metallic monoliths McCracken made, and was described as "nearly identical" to McCracken's Fair (2011) by New York gallerist David Zwirner (who displays the work).[29] A spokesman for Zwirner later retracted this statement, telling The Guardian that it was more likely created by another artist paying homage to McCracken.[30][fn 2]
Several online users suggested that the monolith was the work of Petecia Le Fawnhawk, who has installed sculptures in desert locations and lived in Utah, but she denied that it was her work.[18] An artist collective known as "The Most Famous Artist" initially took credit for installing the monolith, but later admitted that the work was not theirs.[32] The Utah Film Commission said that to their knowledge the monolith was not part of any film production.[9]
As of March 2025, it remains unknown who created the monolith.[33] The New York Times said its unknown origin "provides a pleasant sensation of uncertainty", and that it might "lose its aura and power if we knew who had created it".[2]
Legality
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On November 23, 2020, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a statement that it is illegal to install structures, including art, on public lands without permission "no matter what planet you're from".[34]
The Utah Department of Heritage & Arts said in a statement on Twitter that the monolith is vandalism, and were concerned about damage to ancient artwork and archeological artifacts in the region.[35][36]
The #UtahMonolith has prompted discussions about public art and inspired people to visit the site, despite efforts to keep it secret. Our department includes @UT_Indian @UTHistory @UtahArtsMuseums, and we want to raise a couple of important points. [...]
First, debates about #UtahMonolith as artistic statement shouldn't equate it with rock art. This piece is a contemporary statement. Ancient petroglyphs, pictographs, and rock art are protected archaeological treasures with established cultural and historical significance.
While curiosity is understandable, we discourage visiting the monolith. Along with safety concerns, increased crowds threaten the archaeological resources in the area. Unintentional damage is still damage.
If you still choose to visit, please do not damage any rock art and don't gather archaeological items such as arrowheads. Leave the area as undisturbed as possible.
Finally, while the monolith has better craftsmanship than graffiti, this is still vandalism. It irreversibly altered the natural environment on public lands. While the monolith is interesting, we cannot condone vandalism of any type.
— Utah Department of Heritage & Arts (28 November 2020)[36]
Removal
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The Utah division of the Bureau of Land Management said that it received credible reports that the monolith was removed on the evening of November 27, 2020, by then-unknown individuals.[37] Several witnesses posted details and pictures online about the monolith's dismantling.[38] One witness, adventure photographer Ross Bernards, said that a group of four men arrived to the site at about 8:40 pm and immediately started pushing at the monolith with their bare hands while onlookers watched.[2] Bernards said they were "throwing their whole body weight into it" and that "it took them maybe three big pushes to get that thing to pop up a little bit and start turning on its side".[39] After the monolith fell, members of the group said "this is why you don't leave trash in the desert" and "leave no trace" before breaking the structure apart and carrying away the pieces in a wheelbarrow.[2][fn 3]
The BLM denied involvement in the monolith's removal as they considered it to be private property.[41] The BLM said it would not investigate further and would leave the matter to the local sheriff's office.[42] On November 29, the local San Juan County Sheriff's Office said they could not devote the resources, although they did post a "Most Wanted" list with pictures of several aliens on their Facebook page.[2] On November 30, authorities reversed their initial decision and planned a joint investigation with the BLM.[43] On December 1, chief deputy Alan Freestone told The New York Times: "I know they have some leads, and that's all we are saying right now."[2]
On December 1, Andy Lewis, a professional athlete and slackliner from Moab, released a video on YouTube claiming responsibility for its removal.[44] Lewis said that he was helped by his friends Sylvan Christensen, Homer Manson, and an anonymous fourth companion.[45] Christensen later posted the same video to TikTok and Instagram, claiming that the group was motivated to remove the structure after seeing the environmental damage to the area from visitors and tourists.[46] The group later claimed that they heard rumors online that people were planning to destroy it, so they removed it before anyone could.[47]
The group received hateful comments and threats as a result of their actions.[48] Officials said they could not investigate the removal as stolen property because nobody had claimed the monolith as their property.[49] On December 20, Lewis released a video on Instagram showing what appeared to be the monolith intact in his backyard.[50] He revealed that he returned the structure to the BLM on December 18, and hoped that once the investigation was over a new home could be found for it.[47] The San Juan County Sheriff's Office released a joint statement with the BLM on December 21 declining to confirm whether they had received it.[45]
Similar monoliths
Shortly after the discovery of the monolith in Utah, over two hundred additional monoliths which resembled the Utah monolith began appearing at various locations across the world.[6][7] In some cases, local artists came forward to claim responsibility for them, citing the Utah monolith as their inspiration.[51][52] Other monoliths were created and installed by small businesses for promotional purposes.[53][54]
See also
- Minimalism (visual arts)
- Seattle Monolith – Artwork installed in Seattle on New Year's Day 2001
- Site-specific art
- Trail ethics
Notes
- Despite the retraction, Zwirner later told The New York Times that he personally believed it was McCracken's work,[29] and that the gallery was "divided" on the subject.[9] Zwirner ultimately retracted this statement as well, writing to Vox that it was likely not McCracken's work because McCracken preferred to create his sculptures by hand.[31]
- One witness told The Salt Lake Tribune that they saw a pickup truck leaving the area with "a large, rectangular object in the back" at about 10:40 pm.[40]
