A girl taking a selfie at a Los Angeles art show learned the hard way why we're warned to be careful at art exhibits.
In a now-viral video, the girl squats down next to a row of crowns, each atop its own pillar, to take a selfie. As her legs bend, she stumbles and nudges one of the pillars, which causes the rest to fall like dominoes.
In a cringe-worthy YouTube video of the incident, the girl is shown climbing to her feet as visitors watch and the pillars go down. One man rushes over, arms in the air.
The exhibit, part of The 14th Factory exhibit led by Hong Kong-based artist Simon Birch, featured crowns of nylon, plated brass, marble and granite.
In a Facebook statement, Birch said the girl knocked over 16 crowns priced at roughly $20,000 each. He said many of the crowns were OK, but not insured.
'Crown incident not the end of the world after so many challenges...' Full statement by Simon Birch here: https://https://t.co/QBYi7uq212 pic.twitter.com/useY3shG6o
— The 14th Factory (@the14thfactory) July 15, 2017
"We fixed most, but there are a few delicate ones that are still in the process of being repaired and might be permanently damaged," he said.
The artist told The New York Times the incident caused about $200,000 in damage. He also denied it being a stunt.
"People ask why the plinths were not bolted down," he said in the statement. "Well, people are warned to be cautious in that room but the idea was that they should be delicate, exposed and fragile. They are crowns, and crowns — symbols of power, are fragile things."
The girl, Birch said, was "horrified and super upset." He added, "it was clearly an accident." Birch said the organization, a nonprofit, doesn't have the money to take legal action against her.
"So no big deal in the end," he said. "No one got hurt."
Follow Sean Rossman on Twitter: @SeanRossman
