Monolith destroyed in Abq. soon after mysterious find
Almost as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. A mysterious metal monolith — similar to others inexplicably installed around the globe since wildlife officials found the first 10-foot pillar Nov. 18 in a Utah canyon — appeared Sunday evening in Albuquerque.
Video circulating on social media shows a jubilant crowd destroying and toppling it a day later.
According to a report by KRQE-TV, an REI employee saw three people place the 10-foot monolith behind the store near Interstate 25 around 5:30 p.m. Sunday. By
9 p.m. Monday, it was covered in graffiti, struck with
sledgehammers and pushed to the ground.
The Albuquerque Police Department did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday but said in a Facebook post it had recovered the demolished structure.
“We know there were concerns about individuals who vandalized and took a mysterious monolith that popped up off I-25 in recent days. Our officers successfully located the structure this afternoon, and it has been transported to the crime lab as evidence,” the agency said.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller posted a message on Twitter about the monolith early Monday: “We want to believe,” he wrote. “Monolith has been spotted in ABQ! What does it mean?”
Monoliths have appeared in the last few weeks at sites across the U.S., as well as in Europe — structures reminiscent of the iconic pillars that appear in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Some people have opined they are part of an art movement.
A group of four California artists took credit for one monolith erected in that state.
Meanwhile, a Santa Fe-based artist collective implied it might be behind a few of the installations and appeared to be trying to capitalize on the trend.
The group, called The Most Famous Artist, and its founder, Matty Mo, announced in an Instagram post they were selling monoliths for $45,000.
Mo gave an interview to Mashable late last week.
“I am not able to say much because of legalities of the original installation,” Mo said in a message to the digital media outlet. “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.”
A page on the collective’s website lists a 10-foot Authentic Alien Monolith, made of “museum-quality material.”
The $45,000 price tag comes with perks, the website says: delivery and installation, and a blockchain certificate of authenticity.
Those hoping to purchase a pillar from The Most Famous Artist might have to wait, however.
The item is currently out of stock.
Mo could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
He told art podcaster Heidi Zuckerman in an Instagram Live interview Monday, after the Albuquerque monolith was discovered, that he “didn’t do the monolith, but I didn’t not do the monolith.”