A Woman’s Selfie Accidentally Causes Over $200,000 Of Damage To A Los Angeles Art Gallery [Video]

Selfies are typically a fun way to document your day out with family, friends, or simply just yourself, that is until they go horribly wrong. Unfortunately, for a Los Angeles woman, the selfie she took at an art gallery caused over $200,000 worth of damages.

The art installation at the 14th Factory Foundation Gallery by British artist Simon Birch included several pieces on top of pedestals. The woman went to take a selfie near one of them and lost her balance, causing a domino effect that nearly destroyed the entire piece.

At first, the gallery quietly set to repairing the damage done, but now that the footage has gotten out, the selfie blunder has gone viral. Since it was put up on YouTube, it has racked up over 2,000,000 views.

The woman in the video is currently unnamed, but some are suggesting that it is possible that the art gallery selfie blunder was staged in order to bring in more patrons to Simon Birch’s art installation.

The installation itself was several pedestals which crowns rested on top. Birch commented on the symbolism of them falling over in such a dramatic fashion.

“Crowns are fragile things. They are symbols of power. Perhaps it’s ironic and meaningful that they fell.”

Simon Birch, however, insists that this was an actual accident and not a stunt. He says he will not urge the museum to put up signs to warn people to be careful in the future because they trust people, though they might put a little too much faith in people if this can happen.

If the event were staged, as some claim, it would have made more sense that the video was released immediately after the event. Instead, they have waited two weeks when security footage was made available to distribute it, which does put a damper on the theory of the museum doing it themselves to get more attention.

Birch calls his installation, which was temporarily ruined by a the tragic selfie, a symbol of the ultimate drug: power.

Workers at the gallery have joked that since the exhibit fell, they are no longer the 14th Factory, but the 13th Factory.

The installation has since been rebuilt.

[Featured Image by Ollyy/Shutterstock]