Radial white filigree structure on black, from the series Nocturne Geometries
Irina Hughes Scroll

The practice / Intuitive Constructivism

Complexity is
discovered, not
designed.

At the heart of MOON/IC lies a philosophy in which complexity emerges through intuition, material investigation and disciplined construction rather than predetermined imagery.

The name is a lexical blend: MOON, with its symbolic connotation to the subconscious, fused with the MON*IC POLYNOMIAL — the mathematical term for an expression whose highest-power term carries a coefficient of one. The subconscious united with metaphysical mathematics.

The material / Matter as collaborator

Matter is an active collaborator, not a passive support.

Blending painting, computational design, advanced 3D modelling and physical fabrication, Hughes dissolves the boundary between the handmade and the digital, treating digital files as original artworks in their own right rather than preparatory stages.

Glass, metals, polymers and other industrial substrates are chosen for both their physical behaviour and symbolic resonance, while reflection, transparency and texture become tools of investigation — drawing on geological formations, sacred geometry and alchemical traditions to examine beauty through transformation.

  • Private collection of the Dalai Lama
  • Private collection of Dennis Tito
  • Best Leisure Wear Award, Dubai Fashion Week 2018

Philosophy / Intuitive Constructivism

At the heart of MOON/IC, the practice of Irina Hughes, lies Intuitive Constructivism — a distinctive philosophy in which complexity emerges through intuition, material investigation and disciplined construction rather than predetermined imagery. The name itself is a lexical blend: MOON, with its symbolic connotation to the subconscious, fused with the MON*IC POLYNOMIAL — the mathematical term for an expression whose highest-power term carries a coefficient of ONE — uniting the subconscious with metaphysical mathematics.

p(x) = 1xn + an−1xn−1 + ⋯ + a1x + a0

The leading coefficient 1 is never written / it is the one that is understood

Material / Method

Blending painting, computational design, advanced 3D modelling and physical fabrication, Hughes dissolves the boundary between the handmade and the digital, treating digital files as original artworks in their own right rather than preparatory stages. Glass, metals, polymers and other industrial substrates are chosen for both their physical behaviour and symbolic resonance, while reflection, transparency and texture become tools of investigation, drawing on geological formations, sacred geometry and alchemical traditions to examine beauty through transformation.

Collections / Recognition

Irina's work resides in the private collections of the Dalai Lama and Dennis Tito, the world's first space tourist, and her capsule artware collection won the Best Leisure Wear Award at Dubai Fashion Week 2018.

Beyond the gallery

Beyond the gallery, this evolving language extends into collectible design, textiles, sculpture and wearable objects, each piece carrying forward the integrity of a singular creative vision.

Art / Nine series

Specimen and apparition.

Art /

Contact / Studio

Enquiries, acquisitions, commissions.

Works are available directly from the studio. Collaborations across textiles, collectible design and wearable objects are considered on a project basis.