Take it Easy is pleased to present 47 Rockets, an interdisciplinary exhibition by collaborative duo BELLEAU + CHURCHILL as a solo component of the group exhibition Is it not enough that I smile in the valleys? which spans both Take it Easy and Whitespace galleries. 47 Rockets combines science and speculation into a condensed visual summary of humankind’s complex relationship with the moon and our centuries-old fixation with space travel.

Within the context of the broader curatorial exercise, 47 Rockets positions space exploration in the crosshairs of manifest destiny; a final bastion of frontier exploration to find the vast, pure wilds that are, evidently, so hard to find in our planetary backyard.

From the folktale of Chang’e and the jade rabbit to the conspiracy that Stanley Kubrick filmed the landing of Apollo 11, we have been captivated by the idea of visiting our nearest astrological neighbor, Earth’s eighth continent. Unlike the continents of Earth, the moon has no nationality, no native language. Regardless of our individual place in time or space, we all look up at the same moon.

The artworks in 47 Rockets take inspiration from history such as the ill-fated attempt at space travel of Wan Hu, a Chinese contemporary of Galileo, who attached 47 rockets to a chair and had his attendants light the fuses. Other pieces draw on more recent history like Playtex’s role in fabricating the first space suits using technology developed for bras and feminine hygiene and the popularity of Michael Jackson’s “Moon Walk”.

Raina Belleau and Caleb Churchill met in graduate school at the Rhode Island School of Design. Feeling constrained by the academic structure of departments, majors and media, they began to collaborate in a variety of media. Their small, whimsical yet melancholic, early pieces soon become an entire collaborative practice. Their first exhibition, Fantasia Colorado explored the boundaries between history and legend. It was featured at GRIN in Providence and through the gallery, at Satellite Art Fair as a part of Miami Art Week. They are currently working on new projects from their shared studio in Memphis, Tennesee.

belleauchurchill.com