Moon City: A Celestial Dialogue with London's Skyline
For a limited time only, art collectors and photography enthusiasts have a unique opportunity to acquire a piece of contemporary visual poetry. Renowned documentary photographer Mimi Mollica is releasing a numbered and signed edition of prints from his latest major work, Moon City. This exclusive sale, celebrating the book's co-publication with Dewi Lewis Publishing, will conclude on 8 December.
The Artist and His Vision
Mimi Mollica is an award-winning photographer whose practice delves into themes of identity, environment, and social change. The founder of Offspring Photo Meet and the Sicily Photo Masterclass, Mollica has previously authored works like Terra Nostra and East London Up Close. His newest project, Moon City, is the culmination of more than five years of meticulous work, capturing the tension between the ancient, gravitational pull of the moon and the stark, restless ambition embodied in London's financial district glass and steel towers.
The innovative process involved overlaying images of people walking the city's streets, which were captured using a combination of telescope and mobile phone. The resulting composite images are not just photographs; they are a profound and urgent meditation. They explore how modern individuals have become both the victims and the promoters of a system that often feels constricting.
Exploring the Moon City Series
Mollica provides intimate insights into several key pieces from the collection, revealing the technical challenges and serendipitous moments behind their creation.
He describes the capture of Moon City Series – 01 as a moment of rare luck. Contrasting with the usual need for patience and precision in setting up his tripod and calibrating his viewfinder, that particular morning saw everything fall perfectly into place within minutes, resulting in a flawless click.
For Moon City Series – 02, Mollica explains the phenomenon of 'Earthshine'—the dim glow on the moon's dark side caused by sunlight reflected from our planet. He took this image during the stressful crowdfunding campaign for the book, a period of self-doubt, finding solace and guidance in the moon's constant presence.
Moon City Series – 03 holds a special place for the artist, so much so that it was chosen for the book's front cover. The lens aberration from his telescope created a glare around a building, which Mollica interprets as radio waves, highlighting the underlying tension between the urban landscape and the cosmos.
He expresses particular pride in Moon City Series – 05, a striking image of a British Airways plane silhouetted against a half-moon. He notes the exceptional challenge of this shot, as objects pass through the telescope's frame in the blink of an eye, making the precise timing a significant achievement.
How to Acquire and View the Art
The limited edition prints are available in several sizes and formats:
- Small unframed (20x27cm): Edition of 25, Net price: £70
- Medium unframed (30x40cm): Edition of 15, Net price: £80
- Medium framed (30x40cm): Edition of 15, Net price: £155
- Large unframed (60x80cm): Edition of 10, Net price: £225
- Large framed (60x80cm): Edition of 10, Net price: £395
All prints are produced on museum-grade, fine-art paper by the UK's leading provider, theprintspace, guaranteeing archival quality for over 100 years. Shipping is carbon-neutral and global, with prices starting at £8.50 for the UK.
For those wishing to see the work in person, a physical exhibition is being held. Moon City prints will be on display at theprintspace gallery, 74 Kingsland Road, London. The exhibition opens with a private view on Friday 28 November, for which free tickets can be reserved in advance.
This limited print sale offers a final chance to own a fragment of this poignant artistic commentary before it concludes on 8 December.
