Gigantic Computer Keyboard: Each Key Weighs About 1,000 Pounds

There are certain things that happen in human history that make sense at the time, but hundreds of years later they confuse people. Like…Why did the Mayan calendar end on December 21, 2012 and what was the purpose of building Stonehenge? Eventually, researchers and historians settle on a reason for these things, and we believe what they say, never really knowing if their explanation is correct. This gigantic computer keyboard monument is one of those things.

It will still probably exist in hundreds of years from now, and people then will look at it and wonder what it is. After they do their research, they’ll come to the conclusion that it is what was once called a computer keyboard, and it’s what people used to communicate in a digital way. Of course, they will all laugh about it since by then, we’ll probably communicate with our minds or something. It’s a wonderful tribute and will serve as a symbol of our lives at the beginning of the 21st century. I really can’t think of any other single thing that could represent this time in our history better than a computer keyboard.

This sculpture was built in Russia by Anatoly Vyatkin in 2005 to symbolize the collaboration and cooperation of Asian and European communications. Each key is embedded into the ground and made from concrete. The letter keys each weigh around 1,000 pounds, and the space bar weighs half a ton. Each key on this computer keyboard sculpture is placed in just the right place to represent an IBM PC keyboard. There are a total of 86 keys, and they were created on a 30:1 scale.

There is something very special about incorporating a symbol from our technology age into this natural landscape. It combines both worlds, the online and the offline, and it has become a popular tourist attraction over the years. If I’m ever in Yekaterinburg (Ekaterinburg) Russia, I am going to be sure to see this in person.