U. of Hawaii Sculpture Mistaken for Monolith

A monolith was photographed this week on the campus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Similar structures have been found over the past few weeks in Utah, California, and Romania. Despite the viral monolith trend, this is not another mysterious structure that has popped up out of nowhere — it is a sculpture erected on campus in 1973.

According to a press release by the University of Hawaii, a “mysterious” monolith was photographed on the Manoa campus this week. The figure resembles the iconic structure that appeared in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The university admitted that the campus monolith is actually a 1973 sculpture named “Krypton” by artist Bruce Hopper. In fact, this structure has been at the center of the Manoa campus since 1973. It is approximately the same size and dimensions as the monoliths from 2001: A Space Odyssey, which came out in 1968.

Mysterious monolith spotted on #UHManoa campus…just kidding, the brass/bronze sculpture “Krypton” was built in 1973 in front of Watanabe Hall and is about the same size and dimensions as the one in 2001: A Space Odyssey ➡️ https://t.co/9FrCNfz8bv #ExploreUHM pic.twitter.com/1LKiwYEG1l

— University of Hawaii at Manoa (@uhmanoa) December 4, 2020

Jelena Maricic, University of Hawaii at Manoa professor of physics and astronomy, argued that the monolith trend is a valuable distraction for students that are worried about global crises such as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“I think that they are a wonderful distraction from day-to-day concerns and an inspiring reminder of the higher goals of humanity,” Maricic said. “And that other civilizations are out there in the vast Universe.”’

University of Hawaii researcher Kevin Croker argued that the monolith continues to serve as a symbol for a sign that humanity will continue to progress.

“The feeling is that a monolith appears right before humanity collectively makes some giant leap forward,” Croker said. “You see it on the way to class, on the way to work, and think ‘That’s going to happen here, on our campus.’ I love it.”

Breitbart News reported on Sunday that a monolith appeared this week on campus at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas.

Stay tuned to Breitbart News for more updates on this story.