The Bad Idea

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” - Thomas Edison

Inspired by the tenacity and words of Thomas Edison, the night was an act of reclamation. Thousands of archived drawings were salvaged, crumpled, and twisted to become the tangible tale that failure, or bad ideas, are not the end of a process, but can be the beginning of something extraordinary. Commemorating the mountain of discarded and forgotten thoughts leading to big ideas, the multi-sensory experience began small and tense with a bare bulb spot lighting a waste basket; a single wadded bad idea lying just outside the basket, defying its creator. The sound of paper being crumpled in irritation plays out of sync with a video of frustrated draftsmen doubting and re-evaluating ideas before crushing and tossing them aside …at the end of the first room lies a mound of paper of what appears to be a severe dry spell eclipsing a waste basket. Turning 180° from the frumpy mass of trash, the visitors are confronted with a waste basket erupting into a 4,000 square foot whirlwind of bad ideas forming a canopy that covers and envelops the viewer and the historic warehouse interior. As the canopy guides the viewer back to the beginning, one is reminded of the cyclical nature of creativity, the dance between inspiration and criticism, doubt and determination. Once disassembled, all of the reclaimed paper was recycled to become tomorrow’s bad ideas… and hopefully inspiration for future ones.