--- title: "Reflective Monolith Found in Desert" description: "For the first time since 2021, a new reflective monolith has appeared out of the blue — and it's just as unclear as ever what it could mean." date: "2024-06-18" modified: "2024-06-18" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/reflective-monolith-found-in-desert" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "art" - "monolith" - "sculpture" - "the digest" --- # Reflective Monolith Found in Desert ![For the first time since 2021, a new reflective monolith has appeared out of the blue — and it's just as unclear as ever what it could mean.]() *\Image: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department / Futurism\* ## Catching Monolith A new reflective monolith has appeared out of the blue after another was [found in Wales]() this March — and it's just as unclear as ever what it could mean. As the [*Reno Gazette-Journal* reports](), the latest mysterious mirrored structure has appeared in the desert about 20 miles north of Las Vegas and is seemingly the second mysterious monolith to grace the region. The first time one was discovered in the area, as the newspaper notes, was in November 2020 when another of these puzzling artifacts appeared in downtown Vegas outside the famous Fremont Street pedestrian mall, not long after the first and most iconic monolith was [spotted in the Utah desert](). As with all the others, it's unclear who put it there or what it was meant to symbolize or communicate. In a [Facebook post]() about the newest monolithic discovery, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said search and rescue officials spotted the reflective pillar over the weekend out near Gass Peak, an overlook above the region's stunning valley vistas. "HOW did it get up there??" LVMPD mused in the post, which included photos of the strange structure. https://www.twitter.com/books_rum/status/1802852531103551943 ## Pattern Recognition Since 2020, [dozens of similar monuments]() have been found in the United States, Europe, and Asia, and in many cases were dismantled soon after they were first discovered. To this day, nobody knows who — or, just for fun, what — might have fabricated and erected any of them. Practically speaking, it's hard to imagine they were all made and installed by the same person or people. Soon after the bizarre trend began, the artist Matty Mo who used the handle "Most Famous Artist" [took credit for the Utah monolith](), the first of the structures discovered that had apparently gone undetected (or at least unreported) [for four years]() by the time it went viral. Naturally, Mo began selling facsimiles for $45,000 a pop, though the shock jock [eventually admitted]() he wasn't actually behind the structures, and that he'd just said he was to get press. Once again, the identity of the people responsible for these evocative metal sculptures has become a public mystery — one that may or may not result in more monoliths cropping up around the world. **More on art of the future:** [*Billionaire Mining Magnate Not Happy With Her Portrait Hanging in Museum*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()