What has Platja d'Aro done with its 'Stanley Kubrick' monolith?

ALL OVER the world – at least, on both sides of the Atlantic – monoliths almost identical to those left by aliens invading earth in the cult Stanley Kubrick film 2001: Space Odyssey have been appearing, and disappearing just as fast.

Authorities have taken them down almost as soon as they were found – in the Utah desert and on the California Pacific coast road, which the New México-based group 'The Most Famous Artist' owned up to leaving there, and also in Romania, The Netherlands, Poland and the UK.

But Spain has taken a different approach, and seems to be quite fond of its anonymous metal posts – the first to appear in the country, on a hill above Ayllón (Segovia province, Castilla y León) was put back up three times after it fell over and the mayoress paid it a visit the morning it popped up.

The latest monolith emerged apparently out of nowhere on a Costa Brava beach – and has already been removed. 

This is not for the reasons other places have taken theirs down, though: The town council in Castell-Platja d'Aro (Girona province) dug it up from the sands in the middle of Sa Conca beach in the S'Agaró area to protect it from vandals.

A group of youths had kicked it down 48 hours after it appeared, and have since been identified and arrested.

Now, the brightly-shining monolith has been given a new home in the town's Els Estanys Park.

Here, sculptures are arranged in a dedicated area, like an open-air art gallery or miniature Rodin garden, and the monolith has joined them, meaning anyone who rushed to Sa Conca beach to see it and was too late can still go and admire it and take a selfie with it. 

It has been roped off, though, with a wooden fence around it, to prevent anyone getting too close to it and causing damage, deliberate or accidental.

As a country that loves art and has produced numerous artists who remain household names decades or even centuries after their deaths, and as a nation which contributed perhaps more heavily than any other to the surrealism and cubism movements, it stands to reason these strangely plain, geometrical metal creations would be treated as artefacts that deserve respect.

So far, at least, it seems Spain is one country, and maybe even the only one so far, which is actually very proud of its alien monoliths and feels quite privileged to have been included in the 'movement'.

Given that 'The Most Famous Artist' has denied all connection with monoliths found outside the USA, but is pleased to hear they have been turning up, the authorship of those discovered in Europe remains a mystery.

It is just as likely that each one is an artistic prank by a different, local person seeking to get their town in the world news.