Making the Moon
Making the Moon
Photographs and poems by Justin Pumfrey
There are moments when the world seems to forget its name.
A tree appears out of the darkness. The moon hangs in an unfamiliar sky. A flower, caught in the last of the light, seems to be waiting for something.
Nothing particularly unusual has happened. And yet, for a moment, everything is different.
Making the Moon is a collection of photographs and poems made between 2020 and 2026, among the Somerset Levels and the quieter borderlands of Richmond, Surrey.
The work grew slowly, without a particular destination in mind. Images appeared, disappeared, and sometimes returned years later carrying meanings they hadn't possessed before. Poems arrived in much the same way.
Gradually, a kind of conversation began.
Between darkness and light. Between what we see and what we think we know. Between the world and the strange, unaccountable fact of being here to witness it.
The editions
Making the Moon is a 128-page artist's book, bringing photographs and poems together in a carefully considered sequence.
Designed by Phil Cleaver of Et Al Design and edited by Lawrence Pumfrey, the book gives equal consideration to image, language and the spaces between them.
Softcover edition
A tactile, intimate edition, designed to open generously and allow the photographs and poems to unfold naturally.
Hardback edition
A clothbound edition with a distinctive cover, conceived as a lasting physical expression of the work.
Prices and availability to follow.
Photography and words — Justin Pumfrey
Design — Phil Cleaver / Et Al Design
Editing — Lawrence Pumfrey
165 × 240 mm · 128 pages
2026© Justin Pumfrey
Softcover
An intimate, tactile edition.
Hardback
A clothbound edition.
