exhibition Celebrates stunning Failures of Tech, Science, and Marketing
PARIS, FRANCE – October 18, 2025 – A new exhibition opening today at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris dares to celebrate not success, but spectacular failure. “Flops,” curated by innovation consultancy Standing Ovation, showcases a collection of infamous missteps in the worlds of technology, science, and marketing, from the Concorde supersonic jet to New Coke and the disastrously short-lived ten-hour clock imposed during the French Revolution. The exhibition aims to reframe failure not as a dead end, but as a crucial component of innovation and progress.
The exhibition arrives at a moment when the relentless pursuit of disruption and the pressure to constantly innovate often overshadow the lessons learned from setbacks. “Flops” offers a counter-narrative, demonstrating that even the most brilliant minds and well-funded projects can stumble, and that analyzing these failures can provide invaluable insights for future endeavors. With billions invested annually in research and development, understanding why things go wrong is as vital as celebrating what works, impacting businesses, scientists, and consumers alike. The exhibition runs through January 5, 2026, and promises to challenge conventional notions of success.
The exhibition’s collection includes a physical replica of the decimal time dial-a visual reminder of the French revolutionaries’ attempt in 1793 to impose a ten-hour day, dividing each hour into ten “decimes” rather of sixty minutes. The initiative, intended to rationalize time and distance, proved deeply unpopular and was abandoned within a year. Standing Ovation founder, Mathieu cahen, explains the rationale behind highlighting such historical examples: “We frequently enough focus on the successes, but the failures are where the real learning happens. They reveal the hidden assumptions, the overlooked risks, and the human factors that can derail even the most promising ideas.”
Beyond the historical, “Flops” features a range of more recent failures. Visitors can examine artifacts related to the Apple Newton, a pioneering personal digital assistant released in 1993 that suffered from poor handwriting recognition; the Segway, the self-balancing scooter initially touted as a revolutionary mode of transportation that failed to gain widespread adoption; and the Google Glass, the augmented reality eyewear that faced privacy concerns and a high price tag. Marketing disasters are also represented,including examples of tone-deaf advertising campaigns and product launches that misjudged consumer demand.
Cahen emphasizes that the exhibition isn’t about shaming those who took risks, but rather about extracting valuable lessons. “It’s about creating a culture where it’s okay to fail, as long as you learn from it,” he states. “We want to encourage people to embrace experimentation and to see failure not as an endpoint, but as a stepping stone to innovation.” The exhibition includes interactive displays prompting visitors to analyze the causes of each failure and consider how similar mistakes can be avoided in the future.
