The Inspiration for our “Cities by Night” Collection
Our most recent collection of silk scarves is titled From Above: Cities by Night. These images of the USA, New York, Paris and London by night have been chosen not only for their beautiful renders of city lights as seen from space, but also to draw attention to all these lights burning so needlessly, brightly and endlessly.
Keep in mind, this is what our cities look like from above at night. We can see them from up here among the stars (in our Slow Factory satellite), but they completely obscure the vast beauty of the universe from all nearby earth-dwellers.
Other than the vast energy it takes to light our cities, suburbs and even countryside, there is a major issue of light pollution both for people and animals.
As Jake recently wrote to us, "Stray artificial light doesn't just waste energy and prevent us from seeing more stars, it also has negative effects on animals that navigate by natural light, it messes with our circadian rhythms, and it can reduce safety and security in cases of bad lighting design."
Check out The International Dark-Sky Association and Cities at Night to learn more about the only non-profit organization fighting to preserve the night.
Another reason why I began Slow Factory is because as I have grown up, I can see less and less stars in the sky. Adding to it the fact that we traveled a lot and that I never really felt grounded or connected to a home, I felt the need to look at telescope and satellite images of the stars.
We are moving further away from feeling connected to our planet, to our world and even to one another as human beings. Slow Factory is an experiment and a way to raise awareness around these issues by celebrating science, our world and us as one.
