I should backtrack. Laurie Pie wanted to do something quite amazing for my birthday and discovered ‘The 14th Factory', a ‘monumental, multi-media, interdisciplinary, socially engaged art experience that mirrors the decline of globalization. This amazing project was conceived and financed by the Hong-Kong based British artist Simon Birch with 20 collaborators to create this immersive environment within a theme of overcoming obstacles and challenges as a global society.
The space at 440 N. Avenue 19 in Los Angeles covers 3 acres, 150,000 sq. feet. This huge industrial warehouse, is an immense environment comprised of videos, installations, sculptures, paintings and performance art transforming you into a central player. First one walks through a totally blackened area, walking some distance enveloped in darkness…….Laurie is heading there….
After walking forever through pitch black corridors (we used the lights on our iPhones) you come across ‘The Barmecide Feast’ a facsimile re-creation of the final bedroom set piece in 2001: A Space Odyssey by Paul Kember. and you’re absolutely overwhelmed! The iconic illuminated white floor and the stark ‘whiteness’ of the room is staggering.
Next one journeys through to other installations, this one being a re-creation of a crator on the moon!
It’s hard to get a sense of the huge scope of these areas…...
This absolutely fascinated me. Artist Movana Chen wove an entire huge piece from shredded magazines!
There were three areas I didn’t explore but this one was a darkened room with tremendous wall to wall screens that showed video abstractions of Simon Birch’s Ferrari crashing!
In the next room were pieces of the Ferrari and on the wall still photos of it crashing! This white table is immense and again hard to tell the scale of it.
Artist Gloria Yu created various crowns using different materials such as wood, silver, gold etc.
And here were three meteors that fell to earth over 3 billion years ago, on loan to the exhibit.
"Immersed in a total video environment, we are projected into a different kind of “extra-terrestrial” space, created by the countless facades of a Hong Kong cityscape, punctuated by thousands of windows. The perspective is of someone falling or floating in mid-air, travelling downwards through the “landscape” of the buildings, yet never hitting the ground. 'Tannhauser' is a concept by Simon birch, realized by Scott Sporleder, Jennifer Russell, with sound design by @GunnGary"
I had to leave this room as I got so dizzy and was delighted when someone behind me said they too felt that way! You’re surrounded by the videos of buildings that really do seem to continue to rise up making you feel as if you're falling down.
Finally, airplane parts disconnected from their host vehicle and floating in seemingly black water. ‘Clear Air Turbulence’, Simon Birch. A site-specific installation of salvaged airplane tails in a steel-framed pool.
O.K., enough of a cerebral workout, time to feast at ‘BESTIA’, one of L.A.’s top 5 restaurants and may I say it should be #1!
We had the best seats to watch food preparation and salivate over every plate we saw. (The pink package contains Neil DeGrasse Tyson's ‘Astrophysics for People in a Hurry’.
O.K. Foodies…this is for you….LOBSTER CROSTINO: Saffron & squid ink aioli, pickled chilies, opal basil. Citrus. Eyes roll back in your head delicious!
SALUMI: Chef’s selection of house-cured meats, mustard, grilled bread. Yummy!
I love marrow bones…..This one was roasted with a spinach gnocchetti, crispy breadcrumbs & aged balsamic. Soooo yummy!
GRILLED WHOLE BRANZINO: Pea tendrils, fried herbs, grilled lemon. Magnificent!
I took a video of my birthday cake which was ‘COFFEE & DONUT’s' (holes) with a candle, some amazing spiced chestnut zeppole, Whipped cream and COFFEE ICE CREAM so no photo. Thank you dear Laurie for a perfect day!
And remember….Live joyfully!
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