Slow Factory creates carves with creative commons NASA images. These silk scarves have been sold at The MoMa Store and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. Slow Factory’s founder, Céline Semaan-Vernon, was forced to flee Lebanon as a child. She moved between Montreal, Paris, and Beirut before settling in NYC, where she became fascinated with stars and constellations. Here’s more of the story from Céline:
I come from a land of chaos: Beirut, Lebanon. Ever since I was a child, we moved around, traveling from Beirut to Paris to Montreal. Throughout it all, the stars always guided our travels and imagining space became a way to ground me. Because while I never had a traditional definition of home, I always felt comforted by the constant presence of the stars.
That’s why I started Slow Factory. I learned a lot from working with the open-knowledge, open-source movement and how it allowed people to connect to one another. Inspired by NASA’s publicly-available satellite images and by collaborating with other artists, our nebula and supernova collections were created to be a reminder of how we can find beauty and connection in the cosmos.
Now that I’ve made a home in New York, the bright city lights make it harder to see the stars. But if I can help people feel a little more connected with our cosmic silk prints, I will be happy knowing that I’ve made a small impact in a really big way.
Artist statement:
“Our Sun is a second- or third-generation star. All of the rocky and metallic material we stand on, the iron in our blood, the calcium in our teeth, the carbon in our genes were produced billions of years ago in the interior of a red giant star. We are made of star-stuff.” Carl Sagan
We believe in slowing down to look at the big picture — whether it’s gazing at the stars to create sustainable fashion or breaking old boundaries to build new worlds. We believe in collaboration and Everything is a Remix. We believe science is the breath of progress.
Quality trumps quantity. Everything is consciously made in collaboration with craftspeople using sustainable practices: Our natural fabrics are sourced from a socially and environmentally responsible company in India, and each limited edition piece is handcrafted in Montreal and New York from NASA’s open data collection of satellite images.
Words courtesy of Slow Factory