THE 14TH FACTORY EXHIBITION
EDUCATION PACKET
INTRODUCTION
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
ABOUT 14TH FACTORY EDUCATION
The 14th Factory Exhibition on Wall Street is the first of a
series of socially-engaged art installations created by The 14th
Factory Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by
Hong Kong based British artist Simon Birch.
Working in partnership with The Center for Arts
Education, The 14th Factory is committed to making this
unique installation of contemporary art accessible to students
and families. Gallery experiences have been designed to
inspire visitors to actively participate in the works exhibited.
On April 14th, the exhibition will open to the public at the
former J.P. Morgan headquarters on 23 Wall Street, across
the street from the New York Stock Exchange. Throughout its
six-week run, the project will feature collaborative works by
a global community of interdisciplinary artists representing
Greater China, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United
States.
With fourteen pieces of large-scale work, The 14th Factory
alludes to its historical roots in the “Thirteen Factories” of the
Canton region in eighteenth century China, during which
designated Western trading quarters formed a culturally and
heterogeneous establishment for European and Chinese
traders. The imagined Fourteenth Factory, hence, aims to
retrace the origin of a factory— a repository of goods at its
crossroads of production—and its molding of the future.
Download the lesson plans addressing selected works for use
in classrooms at: caenyc.org/14thfactoryeducation.
CONTENTS
Lesson One: Iconic Portrait
Lesson One: Iconic Por-
Big Idea: “Artists often portray icons.” trait
Focus Work: Jubilee-Refusal/Acceptance
Artist: Simon Birch
Lesson Two­: Paradoxical Sculpture
Big Idea: “Sculptures represent dynamic and static shapes and forms.”
Focus Work: The Meteor and The Barmecide Feast
Artists: Simon Birch & Dominuque Fung
Lesson Three: The Nature of Movement
Big Idea: “Movement is an essential component in films and other art disciplines.”
Focus Work: The Dormouse
Artists: Doug Foster, Simon Birch, Cang Xin, Li Wei and Yang ZhiChao
Lesson Four: Environmental Art, Title, and Poetry
Big Idea: “Art titles can influence the viewers’ experience of art.”
Focus Work: Garland- Calm Before the Storm
Artists: Simon Birch and Lily Kwong
Lesson 5 - Symbolic Crown
Big Idea: “Wearable art can represent the complexity of individual human identity.”
Focus Work: Hypercaine - The Reward
Artists: Simon Birch and Gabriel Chan
Lesson One: Iconic Portrait
Jubilee - Refusal/ Acceptance by Simon Birch
Lesson designed by The Center for Arts Education
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
•
•
•
•
How would I define the term icon ?
What do I have to consider when choosing words that describe an iconic character?
Who would I identify as artists who have portrayed icons?
Thinking of a variery of media, how can I identify the ways icons are represented?
Simon Birch
Self-portrait
Frida Kahlo
Self-portrait
Martin Luther King Jr.
Marilyn Monroe
by Andy Warhol
OUTCOMES:
Students will understand/know:
• Iconic portraits are more than a picture of a person.
• Icons are familiar images that have cultural, religious or political significance.
• Icons are symbols of shared beliefs values and perspectives.
• Icons are associated with groups of all sizes (e.g. Gandhi, Elvis).
• Some icons are fictional (Mickey Mouse, Hannah Montana).
Students will be able to:
• Recall people that matter to them and the world.
• Identify distinctive qualities of one such person.
• Create an iconic word portrait of that person.
THE CENTER FOR ARTS EDUCATION
believes every child in every school has the right to a well-rounded education
that includes the arts. We advance this mission through school-based programs,
professional learning, parent engagement, and advocacy.
centerforartsed.org
Barack Obama
by Shephard Fairey
Mahatma Gandhi
VOCABULARY:
Aspiration
Acceptance
Activism
Belief
Celebrity
Character traits
Color
Context
Cultural History
Distortion
Exaggeration
Expression
Fiction
Identity
Impact
Interpretation
Justice
Leader
Peace
Perspective
Politics
Pop art
Punk Rocker
Refusal
Symbol
Society
Value
In partnership with The Center for Arts Education, The 14th Factory is
committed to making this unique installation accesible to individuals of
all ages. Gallery experiences invite students to actively participate in the
works exhibited.
the14thfactory.com
Lesson One: Iconic Portrait
Jubilee - Refusal/ Acceptance by Simon Birch
MATERIALS
& EQUIPMENT:
Project template, paper, pencils
TURN & TALK:
Students share.
WARM UP:
Recall someone famous or important to you.
Discuss.
GROUP SHARE:
What do you notice about Simon’s
work? What makes you say that?
BRAINSTORM:
Introduce the concept of icon.
What are the qualities of your icon?
RESEARCH:
What do we want to know about the
punk rock era, icons, Simon etc.
ART ACTIVITY:
Students recall person, write words inside
template to create word portrait.
ASSESSMENT:
Students create word portraits that
describe specific icons.
Students discuss Simon’s iconic
images in depth.
DEMO:
Students envision and plan a painting
or sculpture of an icon, informed by
their gallery experiences.
•
Cut out figure along
the dotted line.
Fold paper in half
along center line.
•
•
Write about your
artistic choices in
the space provided.
•
•
Fill in empty space
shaped like the
figure with words
about your icon.
Unfold paper to reveal
your icon word portrait.
Lesson designed by The Center for Arts Education
Jubilee - Refusal/ Acceptance by Simon Birch
Iconic Portrait Project
Cut on the dotted line. Fold paper in half.
Fill in the empty space with words about the person you chose.
An icon is a person who
I chose
Fold Here
because
Lesson designed by The Center for Arts Education
In partnership with The Center for Arts Education, The 14th Factory is
committed to making this unique installation accesible to individuals of
all ages. Gallery experiences invite students to actively participate in the
works exhibited.
THE CENTER FOR ARTS EDUCATION believes every child in
every school has the right to a well-rounded education that
includes the arts. We advance this mission through school-based
programs, professional learning, advocacy and public awareness.
centerforartsed.org
the14thfactory.com
Title: _________________________________
Artist: _________________________________
School: ________________________________
Lesson Two: Paradoxical Sculpture
The Meteor and The Barmecide Feast by Simon Birch and Dominique Fung
Lesson designed by The Center for Arts Education
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
•
•
•
How would I combine contrasting qualities to create a pradoxical structure?
What do I have to consider to incorporate cosmic events and an ancient fable into artwork?
In understanding this sculpture, what would I identify as key relationships among time, space, energy and form?
Fireworks
by Cai Guo-Qiang
Boy with a Knapsack
by Kasimir Malevich
Untitled
by Donald Judd
OUTCOMES:
VOCABULARY:
Students will understand/know:
• Artworks can represent stark contrasts.
• How the experiece of a sculpture varies from different perspectives.
• Literature and film can inspire works of art.
All or Nothing
Angular
Apocalyptic
Appropriation
Artificial
Assemble
Barmecide
Chaos
Collapse
Construction
Crash
Students will be able to:
• Distinguish dynamic and static shapes and forms.
• Use sculpture to explore relationships among space, time,
energy and form.
• Create original, free-standing sculptures.
THE CENTER FOR ARTS EDUCATION
believes every child in every school has the right to a well-rounded education
that includes the arts. We advance this mission through school-based programs,
professional learning, parent engagement, and advocacy.
centerforartsed.org
Stock Market
Crash in 1929
Danger
Deconstruction
Dynamic
Explosion
Exterior
Fable
Feast or Famine
Force
Fragment
Freeze
Illusion
Impact
Industrial
Interior
Paradox
Reference
Reflection
Refraction
Residue
Scale
Science Fiction
Set Design
Sharp
Shattering
Stanley Kubrick
Static
Stock Market
In partnership with The Center for Arts Education, The 14th Factory is
committed to making this unique installation accesible to individuals of
all ages. Gallery experiences invite students to actively participate in the
works exhibited.
the14thfactory.com
Lesson Two: Paradoxical Sculpture
The Meteor and The Barmecide Feast by Simon Birch and Dominique Fung
BRAINSTORM:
What are some examples of objects that are
rough on the outside and smooth on the inside?
Discuss opposites (inside/out, organic/natural,
smooth/rough, heavy/light, dull/sharp, large/
small) and create a word bank.
WARM-UP:
Write contrasting words on the inside and outside of a paper or plastic bowl. Discuss.
TURN & TALK:
MATERIALS
& EQUIPMENT:
DEMO:
ART ACTIVITY:
JOURNAL WRITING: Have you experienced a place or a thing that has
contrasting qualities... rough vs. smooth?...still vs.
moving? How can art express contrasting qualities?
RESEARCH:
Can you imagine an environment or a sculpture that
has contrasting interior and exterior qualities?
ASSESSMENT:
Lesson designed by The Center for Arts Education
In groups or pairs, students discuss the
contrasting qualities written on the bowls.
Cardstock or other thick paper, scissors, plastic
or paper bowls, markers.
Educator models creating a free-standing paper
sculpture, including how to cut slits in the edges.
Students combine two or more shapes to create a
free-standing sculpture that expresses contrasting
qualities (e.g. curved vs. angular) from the template
provided.
What is the fate of meteors and how do they
affect the earth? What is the Barmecide
Feast? How have other artists created
paradoxical artworks?
Students demonstrate understanding by
juxtaposing opposite words. Students combine
contrasting shapes to create dynamic and static
forms. Students explore connections between
juxtaposition and paradox.
Print out this template on cardstock. Cut out the
shapes to create one or more free-standing
sculptures. Avoid glue by cuttings slits
into the edges of the shapes. There
is no wrong way to do it!
Lesson Three: The Nature of Movement
The Dormouse by Doug Foster, Simon Birch, Cang Xin, Li Wei and Yang ZhiChao
Lesson designed by The Center for Arts Education
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
•
•
•
What curatorial choices can I identify that affect my initial exprience of the exhibition?
Thinking of historical and literary references, how do I combine them with movement
and media to create new realities?
How does active learning prepare us to more fully engage with related artworks?
Whoopee
directed by Busby Berkeley
The Yin-Yang Symbol
OUTCOMES:
Students will understand/know:
• How artists transform human movement into a metaphor
• How curatorial choices shape visitor experiences
• Surrealism continues to influence artists
Students will be able to:
• Transform their bodies into expressive, moving forms
through movement.
• Make a statement using their bodies.
THE CENTER FOR ARTS EDUCATION
Surrealist Montage
by Man Ray
The Dormouse
by Simon Birch and Doug Foster
VOCABULARY:
Abstraction
Aesthetic
Alice-In-Wonderland
Balance
Bio-Morphic
Busby Berkeley
Chinese Philosophy
Choreography
Curate
Dance
Daoism
Dormouse
Gesture
“Hollywood” Surrealism
Invitation
Juxtaposition
Kinesthetic
Literary Reference
Man Ray
Movement
Performance Art
Projection
Radial
Rite of Passage
Scale
Surrealism
Symmetry
Trigram
Unknown
Video Art
Yin and Yang
believes every child in every school has the right to a well-rounded education
that includes the arts. We advance this mission through school-based programs,
professional learning, parent engagement, and advocacy.
In partnership with The Center for Arts Education, The 14th Factory is
committed to making this unique installation accesible to individuals of
all ages. Gallery experiences invite students to actively participate in the
works exhibited.
centerforartsed.org
the14thfactory.com
Lesson Three: The Nature of Movement
The Dormouse by Doug Foster, Simon Birch, Cang Xin, Li Wei and Yang ZhiChao
DEMO:
Educator models gestures that could generate a pattern.
ART ACTIVITY:
Groups repeat patterns that involve their forms.
JOURNAL
WRITING:
Students respond: “if this is the entrance to
the experience, what do you expect to see
throughout the exhibit?”
TURN & TALK:
Students share what they created and wrote.
RESEARCH:
You can find the term “Dormouse” in science,
literature, music, and Chinese philosophy.
Why do you think this artwork is called “The
Dormouse”?
DOCUMENTATION
Smartphone video of student responses
to be projected or uploaded later.
ASSESSMENT:
Students discuss interpretations of The Dormouse
and its placement in the exhibition. Students
create original movement to communcate related
ideas and feelings. Students create and perform
choreography.
Lesson designed by The Center for Arts Education
Lesson Four: Environmental Art, Title and Poetry
Garlands -- Calm Before the Storm by Simon Birch and Lily Kwong
Lesson designed by The Center for Arts Education
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
•
•
•
How do I make the distinctions between a real and a fictional environment?
What kinds of artistic environments can we create?
What do I have to consider when identifying the relationship between an artwork and its title?
A Breeze at Work
by Sandy Skoglund
Landscape near Hubbelrath
by Gerhard Richter
OUTCOMES:
Students will understand/know:
• Artists can create environments that are real or fictional.
• Audience participation is a key component of environmental works of art.
• Titles can be idioms.
• Titles may influence our experiences of works of art.
Students will be able to:
• Describe various kinds of environments.
• Write a poem in response to their experience of a particular environment.
• Make connections to other forms of literature and art.
• Create a collage, drawing, or tableau in response to idiomatic expressions.
THE CENTER FOR ARTS EDUCATION
believes every child in every school has the right to a well-rounded education
that includes the arts. We advance this mission through school-based programs,
professional learning, parent engagement, and advocacy.
centerforartsed.org
Bohemia Lies by the Sea
by Anselm Kiefer
Golconda by Rene Margritte
VOCABULARY:
Anticipation
Artificial
Astroturf
Calm
Contrast
Disapointment
Environment
False Promise
Fiction
Figurative
Garland
Golconda
Grass
Hope
Horseshoe
Idiom
Inside/Exterior
Intensity
Interior Environment
Interpretation
Literal
Love
Manufactured
Natural
Passion
Poetry
Pre-imposed
Real
Representation
Romantic
Sculpture
Silence
Simulacrum
In partnership with The Center for Arts Education, The 14th Factory is
committed to making this unique installation accesible to individuals of
all ages. Gallery experiences invite students to actively participate in the
works exhibited.
the14thfactory.com
Lesson Four: Environmental Art, Title and Poetry
Garlands -- Calm Before the Storm by Simon Birch and Lily Kwong
WARM UP:
JOURNAL:
What does your body feel like in this environment?
What does this place make you feel like doing?
Can you think of environments that affect people’s
behaviors (e.g., crowded train, elevator, bank)?
Write down words that you notice about this
space. Can we turn this into a group poem?
GROUP SHARE:
This installation is titled “Garlands—Calm before
the Storm.” How does that inform your experience of the environment?
JOURNAL WRITING:
Students break into groups and combine
words and phrases to describe their initial
experiences of the Garlands space.
BRAINSTORM:
Has a storm ever happened to you? If yes, what
is it? (e.g., a test, stress before a big event,
anticipation before a race)
Let’s consider some different reasons for the title.
Can we combine our responses into a poem?
An idiom is a phrase or expression that has a
figurative, or sometimes literal, meaning.
Student volunteers dramatize a figurative
and a literal interpretation of an idiom (e.g.,
”raining cats and dogs”).
ART ACTIVITY:
Use drawing, collage, tableau, and physical
movement to juxtapose the figurative and literal interpretations of idioms (e.g., “actions speak
louder than words,” “cross the bridge when we
come to it,” “grass is always greener on the other
side,” or “step up to the plate”).
RESEARCH:
Research the use of idioms in different languages.
ASSESSMENT:
Students understand the difference between figurative and literal representations.
Students create movement, poetry, and visual
art in response to idiomatic expressions and the
installed environment.
MATERIALS
& EQUIPMENT:
Lesson designed by The Center for Arts Education
Prompts: what do you notice? What words come
to mind in this gallery space? (e.g., stories, songs)
What does the mirror add to your experience?
Why do you think the artist called this piece
“Calm before the Storm”?
What are some examples of figures of speech
we use to describe experiences? (e.g., “raining
cats and dogs,” “a penny for your thoughts,”
“actions speak louder than words,” “cross the
bridge when we come to it”). These are called
idioms.
DEMO:
Students discuss the activities created from
idioms.
Magazines, drawing materials, glue sticks,
blank paper, index cards, and scissors
Lesson Four: Environmental Art, Title and Poetry
Garlands -- Calm Before the Storm by Simon Birch and Lily Kwong
Example: Raining Cats and Dogs
Literal Meaning
Figurative Meaning
Idiomatic Expression:
Draw or collage the literal meaning
Draw or collage the figurative meaning
BLANK PAGE! USE FOR NOTES, DRAWINGS AND REFLECTION
Lesson Five: Symbolic Crown
Hypercaine - The Reward by Simon Birch and Gabriel Chan
Lesson designed by The Center for Arts Education
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
•
•
•
Who would I identify as artists who have designed headpieces to represent individual complexities?
What do I have to consider when creating headpieces to express my social and cultural relationships?
How would a headpiece design represent the complexity of me?
Contemporary Headpiece Zoe Bradle Headpiece made
from straws
by Qi Hu
Twig Crown
14th Factory
Headpiece
OUTCOMES:
VOCABULARY:
Students will understand/know:
• A headpiece (e.g., a crown) is a universal symbol signifying power, status, and
achievement.
• Headpieces can take on many shapes and forms.
• Headpieces can be made of a variety of materials.
Ambition
Attribute
Brain
Complexity
Contemporary
Contradiction
Corona
Crown
Students will be able to:
• Interpret the concepts of power, status, and/or achievement represented by
various crown forms and headpiece designs.
• Create crowns using their own ideas and symbolism to represent personal
attributes.
THE CENTER FOR ARTS EDUCATION
believes every child in every school has the right to a well-rounded education
that includes the arts. We advance this mission through school-based programs,
professional learning, parent engagement, and advocacy.
centerforartsed.org
Contemporary Headpiece
by Gloria Yu
Decoration
Desire
Form
Found Object
Headpiece
Martyrdom
Metaphor
Mixed Media
Personality
Power
Representation
Reward
Signify
Status
Symbol
Texture
In partnership with The Center for Arts Education, The 14th Factory is
committed to making this unique installation accesible to individuals of
all ages. Gallery experiences invite students to actively participate in the
works exhibited.
the14thfactory.com
Lesson Five: Symbolic Crown
Hypercaine - The Reward by Simon Birch and Gabriel Chan
SUGGESTED
MATERIALS
& EQUIPMENT:
Cardstock, tape, glue, markers, paper
fasteners, hole punch, other art materials
and found objects.
WARM UP:
Use your body to represent success,
achievement or empowerment.
BRAINSTORM:
DEMO:
What defines achievement, status,
power?
Students share and discuss their completed
works of art (e.g., aesthetic choices, symbolic
meanings, etc).
RESEARCH:
Collect additional examples of headpieces
from past and present. What do these
crown forms have in common? How are
they different? What choices did the artists
make? What do you think the artists are
trying to communicate?
ASSESSMENT:
Students make connections among forms,
materials, and symbolism. Students
articulate multiple interpretations of various
crown forms. Students create and discuss
their original artworks.
Educator asks students to discuss pictures
of crowns and other headpieces. “What do
you think these headpieces represent?”
Educator demonstrates how to create a
base of a headpiece with oak tag, pipe
cleaners, wire, or other materials.
ART ACTIVITY:
GROUP SHARE:
If you were to create a headpiece that
represents some of these qualities, what
would it be made of?
Make a sketch of your envisioned
headpiece.
Students create individual headpieces
with oak tag, pipe cleaners, wire, or other
materials.
Lesson designed by The Center for Arts Education
Lesson Five: Symbolic Crown
Hypercaine - The Reward by Simon Birch and Gabriel Chan
Sketch Your Crown Design
Symbolic Meanings
Create a basic crown form (corona)
Add shapes and found materials to create
symbolic meaning
Materials Needed
THE CENTER FOR ARTS EDUCATION
believes every child in every school has the right to a well-rounded education
that includes the arts. We advance this mission through school-based programs,
professional learning, parent engagement, and advocacy.
centerforartsed.org
In partnership with The Center for Arts Education, The 14th Factory is
committed to making this unique installation accesible to individuals of
all ages. Gallery experiences invite students to actively participate in the
works exhibited.
the14thfactory.com