Phases on the Far Side of the Moon

The Phases on the Far Side of the Moon is a limited edition artist's book that explores the connection between what one sees and therefore believes, and between what one believes and therefore sees.  It was inspired by Galileo's Siderius Nuncius and it tells the story of a mythical science of astronomy as discovered by an imaginary character who receives a telescope in the mail which, when looked through, shows what is impossible to see - the far side of the moon. His notebook of observations records his process of making sense of sensory perceptions which do not accord with anything experienced before.  The book is an exploration into how we confront the new or unexpected and our process of either assimilating or rejecting it.
 

The book is letterpress printed on handmade paper in an edition of 10.  The box opens to reveal compartments to contain a telescope and the booklet of recorded observations.  The volvelle on the underside of the box's top is a working lunar clock keyed to the phases of my imaginary far side of the moon. The box is covered in hand-dyed indigo paper and each side of the box opens like a book to reveal a night sky with imaginary constellations and the moon in its various phases.