I Was Never There Dot Com
The story of KRYPTOS has been unfolding for more than 25 years at the Central Intelligence Agency
Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Dedicated in 1990, this art installation consists of multiple elements.
Three granite outcroppings, copper plates, a lodestone and a compass dial are installed as on
approaches the New Headquarters Building. The copper plates contain an encoded text in a simple
coding system – International Morse. Elements of increasing complexity are located in the Agency’s
inner courtyard. A granite outcropping, aligned with and parallel to the entrance outcroppings, sits
adjacent to a large, calm pool of water. The most prominent and enigmatic element in the courtyard is a
10 foot tall by 20 foot wide serpentine copper screen framed by a petrified tree and a turbulent pool of
water. This screen is perforated with an encrypted message and decoding chart – a modified Vigeneries Tableaux.
This is KRYPTOS.
2010 marked the 20th anniversary of the dedication of KRYPTOS. This highly accurate scale model of the
KRYPTOS screen commemorates this landmark. The model, made of nickel silver, darkens naturally with age.
Ace code-breakers worldwide have yet to crack the final coded section of the screen, known infamously
as K4. An understanding of this scale model and the entire KRYPTOS ensemble is essential to cracking
the codes. Please enjoy the challenge!
Photo of Number 22 of 250 - KRYPTOS Artist: Jim Sanborn
Not since the peek of the Cold War in 1984 have we been at '3 Minute to Midnight'
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