Chess Moves: Turning Personal Struggles into Art in a Museum
- A unique museum dedicated to failure has opened in Vancouver, British columbia.
- Exhibits include a wedding dress from a called-off marriage, a dull knife, and a spilled pot of paint.
- Collins initially advertised for "failures wanted" with posters around the city, and quickly received numerous submissions of objects representing personal defeats.
A unique museum dedicated to failure has opened in Vancouver, British columbia. The Museum of Personal Failure, located at the Kingsgate Mall, displays objects donated by the public representing personal setbacks and disappointments.
Exhibits include a wedding dress from a called-off marriage, a dull knife, and a spilled pot of paint. The museum’s creator, Eyvan Collins of Burnaby, says the idea came to him after a painful breakup.
“I felt like a failure. It broke my heart,” Collins recalled. “I needed to do something with that. And that’s what I did.”
Collins initially advertised for “failures wanted” with posters around the city, and quickly received numerous submissions of objects representing personal defeats.
“Failure is a vital part of life,” Collins said.”It’s part of the process. Sometimes things go the way you want, sometimes they don’t.”
Among the exhibits is a “wall of rejection,” featuring letters of termination and other forms of dismissal. Collins’ own mother contributed her robe from a failed attempt to become a magician’s assistant.
The Museum of Personal Failure is open from January 24th to February 3rd.