Photo does not show lobby floor at CERN, it is from a Microsoft convention in 2006
3D illustration is from gaming convention in Los Angeles
CLAIM: A photo purporting to show the lobby floor at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland, has circulated online in recent days.
RATING: The 3D illustration depicts demonic figures or creatures climbing out of the floor. However, the 3D illustration is from a gaming convention in Los Angeles, California, in 2006.
BACKGROUND
A photo circulating on social media in recent days claimed to show the lobby floor at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland.
The 3D illustration depicts demonic figures or creatures climbing out of the floor as patrons look on.
One user shared the image and wrote: "The lobby at CERN; Nothing at all demonic to see here… Move along please."
"This is the lobby of CERN Switzerland...they are showing us the demonic reptilians in this sculpture," a second wrote.
METHOD
Using a reverse image search, we were guided to a YouTube video published on April 22, 2013, on the account of Kurt Wenner, entitled : "3D Art: Time-lapse Gears of War, Xbox".
In the description of the video, the uploader writes: "Time-lapse of my 3D art creation of Gears of War for Xbox."
A search of Kurt Wenner's website shows the same image described as captured at Microsoft X-Box, E3 Convention, Los Angeles, California, in June of 2006.
The image is an exact match for that shared by social media users claiming to show the lobby floor at CERN.
The artwork was also reported on by Engadget in 2006.
Sharing the image on Facebook in September of 2022, Wenner wrote: "Are you a gamer? I did this work at the famous E3 convention in Los Angeles for the popular Gears of War video game franchise, which is still going strong. When I informed the presenters that my suitcase containing my pastels had been lost on the flight, they agreed that the driver who picked me up at the airport would stop at an art store. The car turned out to be a stretch limosine (sic). When it stopped at the art store on the famous Wilshire Boulevard and I got out, I momentarily felt like a true celebrity artist. Reality soon set in when I saw that the store was out of business."
From this, we can conclude that the footage does not show the lobby floor at CERN.
RATING: The photo does not show the lobby floor at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland. It is a 3D illustration for a gaming convention in Los Angeles, California, in 2006.