14th Factory, conceived by British artist Simon Birch (currently based in Hong Kong), is an immersive, multimedia exhibition combining the works of more than 14 international and US artists. The exhibition, which currently has no end date, occupies and reinterprets the spaces of an abandoned factory on the outskirts of China Town in Los Angeles. Immediately after entering the space, visitors walk down a long, dark hallway with an abstract video (artist Simon Birch) projected onto the wall opposite of the entrance. An eery, sound installation by Doug Foster echoes throughout the room. As viewers approach the video, which seems abstract and out of focus from far away, multiple black and white human bodies overlap in a circular motion. Exhibition goers continue into the next room, the center of which is completely overrun by Birch’s The Meteor created from foam and Masonite and painted completely black. Another sound piece clashes against the sounds from the previous room and a strange, white glow protrudes from the opposite side of the work. Once on the other side of this “meteor”, which seems as though it’s otherworldly, one realizes that the bright light is actually the entrance to the inside of the meteor, which is an exact replica of the room from Stanley Kubrick’s Space Odyssey. The entrance is key to a central theme within the exhibition–a post-apocalyptic city and culture–and sets the mood for the rest of the 3 acre space. These rooms open up into larger installations and from there, visitors are able to navigate the remaining installations as they please. Multiple video projections juxtaposed with sound works are dispersed among various rooms throughout the installation. Of special note is Tannhauser (Simon Birch and others), which contains 4, large screens in a square shape. Viewers experience the multi-channel videos from the center of the room, thereby completely immersing them within this digital world. All 4 screens portray images of high rise apartment complexes–the exact location of these buildings are unknown, further adding to a universal feeling. These multicolored skyscrapers seem to be moving up and down and the rooms all appear to be the same. However, there are no people portrayed in any of the rooms, further adding to the post-apocalyptic eeriness. Multiple works of repetitive, handmade objects are installed throughout the room. Included among them are crowns made from various materials, pitchforks hanging from the ceiling, abandoned swing sets, and many airplane wings set within a black-bottomed pool of water. These remaining items remind one that you cannot take materials items with you after death and this fact applies to everyone–whether you were a king (hence the crowns) or a farmer (pitchforks) during your lifetime. The abstract drawings and paintings of unknown and distinct less human figures by Birch (as well as those featured in his videos) and high resolution images of humans jumping above rural Chinese backgrounds are among the only evidence of the people before the assumed apocalypse. This makes visitors wonder their role within this world. Are we really here in this space or are we to understand our presence as ghosts wandering this space? Is this how it will be if our species ends? And how do we move on from it? No matter the answers, 14th Factory creates a space for one to question their own time and morality.
