The 14th Factory: Interrupted
The 14th Factory is a monumental, multiple-media art installation that has transformed an empty industrial warehouse near downtown Los Angeles into a mythic universe. The 14th Factory weaves together elements of popular culture–science fiction, punk music, graphic novels, and film — with critical re-examinations of social and historical narratives, especially interconnections between East and West. Conceived by Hong Kong-based British artist Simon Birch, the vision of The 14th Factory is to create a new, independent paradigm for socially-engaged art. Simon wanted to take the experience even further, with a pop up event bringing live music, magic, performance art, and cocktails into the 14th Factory Project for a single day.
The first installation, based off of Alice in Wonderland’s journey down the rabbit hole, the magician’s cards, and the vile of potion to be given to each audience member drove the inspiration here. We wanted to bring a sense of mystique, history, as well as danger, that told a different story than what is already known of The 14th Factory. Wanting to avoid the obvious tropes of ‘Alice’, we blended Victorian illustrations and typography with powerful, bold headlines for the title. The logo for ‘Interrupted’ ties back the original ‘14th’ logo, working as a working as a lockup, but now works independently. The animated multiplications of the word mark give a sense of urgency and alarm, as this is a one-time, unique opportunity to experience this dreamlike journey.
Client: The 14th Factory
Creative Direction: Mike Payne
Photography: Mike Payne