Emessel

Inspired by ideas of the infinite and vast astronomical imagery, Emessel's work takes an entire star-filled cosmos and shrinks it down to a microcosm, painstakingly embroidering solar systems and patterns found in the night sky bead by bead, with each small piece taking weeks or even months to complete.

Emessel's Parisian training at Lesage in haute couture embroidery affords her work a luxury quality, although the gradual and deliberate nature of this process presented a challenge at first. Eventually the repetitive nature of the work and the attention to minutiae became a source of inspiration and motivation for creating new works and developing her technique.

'For me, slowness allows reflection on the infinite', explains Emessel, who sees her process as a way to 'help fill the unknown'.

Image: Emission Nebula IC 1805, 2014, Embroidery on silk organza, 41 x 51 cm