Simon Birch, a British multimedia artist based in Hong Kong, has been displaying his latest immersive exhibition at the 14th Factory pop-up gallery in Los Angeles. In one room were placed a series of crowns on pedestals of varying heights — all very close to one another. They were the very definition of selfie bait.

So it was perhaps no surprise that a woman two weeks ago would get a bit too close to the art and, mid-selfie, lose her balance, sending pedestals and crowns crashing in a cascading domino effect. Damage estimate: Roughly $200,000, according to Mr. Birch.