Osiris was slain by Seth, who tore the corpse into 14 pieces and flung them over Egypt. Eventually, Isis found and buried all the pieces, thereby giving new life to Osiris, who remained in the underworld as ruler and judge. This identification with Osiris, however, did not imply resurrection, for even Osiris did not rise from the dead. Instead, it signified the renewal of life. Projet Osiris tells the story of our shattered selves after the August 4 Beirut port explosion. How many of us repeatedly said they could have died. How many of us got our skin and members stitched back into place. After the catastrophe, we might not resurrect intact and unscratched but just like Osiris, we pledge to pour our energy into creating life through our works.
About the Artist
Zeina Bassil created Zenobie, a playful stationery brand in 2015 in her small atelier in Beirut out of her love of patterns, prints, and paper. Zenobie takes inspiration from myths and old tales from the East and West, embodying the warmth and joie de vivre of the Mediterranean people.
All the designs start out as hand drawings with pencil and colored ink and are then printed using the finest paper and printing techniques found in Beirut.
About the Brand
Exil Collective was created as an invitation to change the way design is perceived in Lebanon and the Middle East.
In order to reach this goal, we put forward a set of guidelines meant to optimise creation, production, and distribution of design objects imagined by local talents and produced by local artisans. These guidelines are meant to direct the designers’ thinking toward local feasibility, waste reduction, and ethical production: context as a guide for creation tailored to local manufacturing.
