Moon city by Mimi Mollica

On any given day, the skyscrapers of the City dominate London’s East End—towers of concrete and steel, lattices of frames and windows defying gravity as they catch the light and mirror the clouds.

But when the sun retreats, these rulers of the skyline surrender their brilliance. They darken, negotiating their place against the quiet, comforting power of the Moon.

Moon City is loosely inspired by Pirandello’s Ciàula Scopre la Luna, the story of a Sicilian mine worker who, after a night shift, discovers the Moon’s overwhelming beauty for the first time.

Armed with a smartphone and a small telescope, I crafted an imaginary dialogue between the Moon and the empty offices of the City of London.

Mimi wanted to highlight the stark contrast between two forces: the dystopian pulse of capitalism embodied by deserted skyscrapers, and the Moon’s generous, mysterious glow.

As in Pirandello’s tale, the Moon’s cycles offer solace to anyone who dares to look up and step outside capitalism’s deceptive halo. The City seems almost summoned by the Moon’s pull. Their dialogue grows, becoming a standoff between two worlds—inseparably linked, yet profoundly distant.