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THOSE who thought the Stanley Kubrick-inspired 'monolith fever' spreading around the globe in December had cooled off altogether will be pleased, or annoyed, to know that it is still burning brightly: Another square-shaped metal post has popped up in Spain, this time on a Costa Brava beach.
Back in November, a steel monolith resembling the 'calling card' left by extra-terrestrials in the famously, and inaccurately, futuristic 2001: Space Odyssey – which left film fans leaving cinemas dazed and confused after its airing in 1968 – appeared out of nowhere in the Utah desert, then another turned up off the central coast road through California.
Between these, one sprung up in Romania, and another in The Netherlands; the fifth in the 'series' appeared in Spain in early December on a hillside above the town of Ayllón in the province of Segovia, Castilla y León, and is thought to have been the first one on earth that was not taken down by concerned authorities.
In fact, Ayllón's mayoress paid a visit to it the morning it 'emerged', and said it had been put back up three times after being blown down.
Since then, others have made an appearance in the UK and Poland – although of all the monoliths seen so far, the association which claims to be the instigator says it is only behind the ones in Utah and California.
The self-titled group 'The Most Famous Artist', based in the State of New México, has denied any connection with the various European versions, but says it is pleased to see the trend is catching on.
Nobody is quite sure where the Ayllón monolith came from – nor the one that apparently sprung out of the ground in the town of Castell-Platja d'Aro (Girona province) today (Tuesday).
It was spotted on the sands of Sa Conca beach in the residential hub of S'Agaró and is triangular in shape; unlike the dull gunmetal-grey steel post in Ayllón, this one is made from shining chrome or stainless steel, and its top is slanted rather than squared off like the Segovia-province version.
A town hall source said the beach was replete with locals and visitors from other parts of Catalunya who had headed to the Costa Brava ahead of Easter weekend.
Some initially thought the council had set up a public shower on the beach, but could not find out how to switch on the water.
The local film buff group, Arocinema Association, took photos early this morning and posted them on social media, three of which are shown here.
At the moment, it is not clear whether it will remain in place as a tourist magnet, or whether the council will take it down.
As it is on sand, the sun's reflection off the shiny surface should not, technically, cause a fire hazard, although the trees on the dunes may be vulnerable to this, meaning it might not stay there forever.
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