Lauren Heath-Jones | Planet Attractions | 28 Mar 2023
A new museum dedicated to failure has opened in Brooklyn, New York.
Called the Museum of Failure (MoF), the museum celebrates flawed design and bad ideas by showcasing failed products and services.
Helmed by psychologist and innovation researcher Dr Samuel West, the museum originally began as a touring exhibition, travelling across the US, China and Europe. It has now opened, for a limited time, in Industry City, a creative hub in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighbourhood. It is home to more than 150 items that were considered to be commercial failures.
Amongst the exhibits is Google Glass, a brand of smart glasses that raised concerns over privacy and cyber warfare, and a selection of Bic’s ‘Bic for Her’ pens. Bic for Her pens launched in 2011 and were designed to target women. The pens were available in pastel colours and featured a slimmer barrel to ‘fit a woman’s hand’ as well as a higher price tag and are widely regarded as a sexist blunder.
Other exhibits include the Rejuvenique Electrical Face Mask, which claimed to tone the face using electric shocks and was never safety approved, as well as Fat-Free Pringles, which hit shelves in the early 90s and contained the additive Olestra, which caused symptoms such as cramps and diarrhoea. A Segway scooter, a Soviet car and a ‘hula chair’ are also featured.
“Innovation and progress require an acceptance of failure. The museum aims to stimulate productive discussion about failure and inspire us to take meaningful risks,” said a statement from MoF.
West explained that his inspiration for starting the museum was helping businesses overcome the fear of failure in order to innovate.
“A failure is when your efforts don’t lead to the expected or desired results,” he told CBS New York.
“My research is focused on helping organisations to be more innovative. And one of the big obstacles to innovation is the fear of failure. So I was playing with this idea, how can I communicate the research findings and the importance of accepting failure?”
The MoF will remain open at Industry City until mid-May and could potentially extend its run through June.
Museum of Failure, celebrating bad ideas and flawed design, opens in New York | Planet Attractions
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Museum of Failure, celebrating bad ideas and flawed design, opens in New York
A new museum dedicated to failure has opened in Brooklyn, New York. The Museum of Failure celebrates bad ideas and features 150 items that were considered to be commercial failures Lauren Heath-Jones | Planet Attractions | 28 Mar 2023
A new museum dedicated to failure has opened in Brooklyn, New York.
Called the Museum of Failure (MoF), the museum celebrates flawed design and bad ideas by showcasing failed products and services.
Helmed by psychologist and innovation researcher Dr Samuel West, the museum originally began as a touring exhibition, travelling across the US, China and Europe. It has now opened, for a limited time, in Industry City, a creative hub in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighbourhood. It is home to more than 150 items that were considered to be commercial failures.
Amongst the exhibits is Google Glass, a brand of smart glasses that raised concerns over privacy and cyber warfare, and a selection of Bic’s ‘Bic for Her’ pens. Bic for Her pens launched in 2011 and were designed to target women. The pens were available in pastel colours and featured a slimmer barrel to ‘fit a woman’s hand’ as well as a higher price tag and are widely regarded as a sexist blunder.
Other exhibits include the Rejuvenique Electrical Face Mask, which claimed to tone the face using electric shocks and was never safety approved, as well as Fat-Free Pringles, which hit shelves in the early 90s and contained the additive Olestra, which caused symptoms such as cramps and diarrhoea. A Segway scooter, a Soviet car and a ‘hula chair’ are also featured.
“Innovation and progress require an acceptance of failure. The museum aims to stimulate productive discussion about failure and inspire us to take meaningful risks,” said a statement from MoF.
West explained that his inspiration for starting the museum was helping businesses overcome the fear of failure in order to innovate.
“A failure is when your efforts don’t lead to the expected or desired results,” he told CBS New York.
“My research is focused on helping organisations to be more innovative. And one of the big obstacles to innovation is the fear of failure. So I was playing with this idea, how can I communicate the research findings and the importance of accepting failure?”
The MoF will remain open at Industry City until mid-May and could potentially extend its run through June.
