Reflecting on the Moon Pillow

This month, the MSOE are honouring the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. I am playing with the idea of reflection (to think back, refléchir, the reflection of light and reflection after a collosion). I carved a reduction print* lino block of the moon reflected in the sea. The way we usually see the moon, its light refracted through the atmosphere, is rather like trying to do astronomy from the bottom of a swimming pool - we can only really see a distorted image of our night sky from Earth, like observing the moon's reflection on the ocean. Actually going to the moon, allowed humankind a direct observation like no other.

The moon itself was formed, early in the evolution of our solar system, when a Mars-sized object collided with the young Earth. The object shattered and large amounts of the young planet's early mantle splashed up into orbit. Eventually all this material, both terrestrial and extra-terrestrial coalesced under gravity and our home gained a satellite we know as the moon.







*A reduction print involves carving a block, printing one colour, carving some and printing the subsequent colour or colours on top. It is not a technique a use often.