A selfie apparently cost Hong Kong-based artist Simon Birch $200,000. At his art exhibition “14th Factory: A World in Disorder” in Los Angeles, as visitors admired the artwork, a woman crouched next to a pedestal with a crown sculpture on it to take a selfie. As she lost her balance, the pedestal against which she leaned toppled, causing a domino effect which took down an entire row of sculptures.
The CCTV video (above) captured the disastrous incident, which reportedly caused damage to 12 items, while permanently destroying at least three sculptures at Birch’s “Hypercaine” exhibit, situated in one of the 14 rooms that were a part of the art installation. The entire exhibition, designed in collaboration with 16 international artists, took the artist about six years to put together, and all of his savings.
But was it a genuine accident? Some people allege that it was simply a stunt feigned by Birch or one of the other artists involved in the exhibition to gain publicity for the event. The CCTV footage capturing the incident was uploaded online about two weeks after it happened, by someone claiming to be Birch’s friend, with the description, “Go visit before it closes end of July (or before a few more pieces break).”
“Crowns are fragile things. They are symbols of power. Perhaps it’s ironic and meaningful that they fell,” said Birch, claiming that it actually happened.
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