No, and conveniently they say they can't confirm or deny it was them because the original monolith was installed illegally.
But it seems like the site is more of a community. Not really a team doing these stunts. So anyone can do a stunt, join the community and then claim it was this community which did it.
I'm sceptical though, because the other stunts on that site are very in your face stunts. That monolith was very much not that since it was installed in 2016 based on satellite imagery, and discovered in 2020. Perhaps the artist joined this community recently so they can imply responsibility under this group. Or perhaps they are just trying to make a quick buck.
> But it seems like the site is more of a community.
The site looks like it's just Matty Mo, who looks to be trying to build a "community". Though not a community as in your usual art collective, but more as in $99/year subscription for behind the scenes content (à la Patreon).
I wonder why can't they confirm the fact. Even if it is illegal, noone will go in jail for that, some fine and thats it. Plus given that it is a tourist atttraction now, the fine would likely not be that high. Bad excuse, I guess.
> Plus given that it is a tourist atttraction now, the fine would likely not be that high.
It _was_ a tourist attraction, as it has already been removed by now. Given that it was an unwanted tourist attraction, causing people to litter there and disturb the local wildlife, I think the responsible agency would want to enforce a fine as much as they can.
I'm just wondering how an undeniable proof would look like. For example, I could drive to that place in Utah now, make a video while I'm setting up the monolith and date it back to 2016 right?
Some random guy on reddit or 4chan will do some magic with how the sun casts shadows, visible patterns in the soil and cloud and bird formations and will probably have the exact date (and your phone number and address) within a matter of two hours. :^)
What, like most everyone's junk posted to Hacker News? I fail to see how this is really any more pretentious than 90% of the crap posted here these days. At least he's having fun with it and getting out and doing things.
For real though, 99% of personal blogs/substacks/medium published here is straight up pretentious self-advertisement. I honestly don’t know how people put up with it, especially when some many of them offer no value at all. For example, go back three days on the frontpage and you’ll see 4-5 articles about “How I read book” or “How I take notes”. All of those offer little insight into any of those activities beyond what a high schooler already knows. Meanwhile, they all make it sound like their method is the most useful thing under the sun, and that they should be thanked for their “enlightening research”.
The linked community’s login page hijacks the back button and I hate that as much as this marketing stunt. Clever idea but no actual product behind it, disappointing
Yeah, once the monolith disappeared, I started to wonder what viral marketing campaign this was. Didn't expect it to be a viral marketing campaign FOR alien-like monoliths.
> Hi, I’m Matty Mo. I started my career building advertising technology solutions for platforms like Facebook and YouTube. I’ve worked at award winning creative agencies, started tech companies, and served as CMO for several big brands. In 2014 I decided I wanted to build an art career, cultivate a community of artists, and change the way brands and artists collaborate. And here we are.
I don't remember any of those things except for the silver box thing. Does that make me old? Or is it because I stopped using FB and Twitter years ago?
Me also. Also the Mo monoliths look nothing like the one from 2001. Only in 2020 would an alien stick a big mirror in the ground. I hope they sell at least 5 to be setup next to each other in a hexagon with one side missing for entry for a really nice dressing area.
Well, its a misnomer anyways. "Monolith" means "single stone". It is a large structure formed from a single stone, which was significant in former times because there was no concrete to create large artificial stones. If it is metal, it isn't a monolith. If it is welded, which I suspect it is, it isn't a monolith.
