A pop-up museum dedicated to the selfie has opened its doors in Los Angeles, California, with the unique new attraction exploring the history and cultural phenomenon of the art.
Made up of 15 different works, the Museum of Selfies opened its doors on 1 April for a two-month run, with the exhibition looking as far back as to the first depiction of human art.
A number of photo opportunities are on offer, including the "high-up selfie" – a vertigo-inducing, rooftop selfie mimicking the top of Los Angeles' tallest building; the “bathroom selfie”, which uses trick photography to swap reflections; and the "car selfie" – a VW bug covered in mirrors, which, according to the museum, “makes you reflect on how many people take selfies while driving”. Emulating
Game of Thrones, the museum also features a throne visitors can sit in, but instead of being made from melted down weapons, the seat is made entirely from selfie sticks, while a record-breaking selfie stick measuring 90-feet, 6 inches long, extends the entire length of the museum.
On top of the numerous selfie opportunities on offer, the museum offers a timeline of the history of selfies taking guests from prehistoric times to the present while exploring the art, history, culture, and science that converged to make selfie culture happen. For the historic walk back in time, museum-goers can experience a 1920s-style black and white photo studio and step inside a re-creation of Van Gogh's famous painting of his own bedroom.
Selfie artists are also a part of the exhibition, with special pieces from the likes of Matt Elson, Darel Carey, Colette Miller and David J Slater, the photographer behind the viral “monkey selfie”.
Technology also plays its part in the pop-up, with experiential technology company Eventstag powering a number of interactive experiences. These include a photobooth which creates a split depth GIF to create a 3D illusion, and a social photomosaic, turning individual selfies into works of art.
"We tried to avoid making the museum about the surface value of selfies and more about the selfie phenomenon embraced by the human race and how universal it is," said Tommy Honton, who co-founded of The Museum of Selfies along with Tair Mamedov. "While we will have some selfie-inspired art by creators from all over the world, the focus really is on the interactive installations and the guests' ability to make cool images of their own. We are hoping our art makes guests laugh, gets them talking outside of the museum, and enthrals them, so that they can't help but want to take a picture with it."
