GONOGO takes influence from the status check of space missions (go/no go testing referring to a pass/fail test principle) before a rocket launch can proceed. It feels as though we are at the end of an era post-covid, but also at the beginning of a new one; a possible take-off fuelled by uncertainty.

Over the last few years, our lives have fundamentally changed on both a national and global scale. With the rapidly shifting economic and political situation of the world as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, space exploration has become an even more controversial topic. In a sense, the space-race has been reborn, with global space agencies announcing their most ambitious skyward endeavours to date; crewed missions back to the Moon (India, NASA, Russia and China), exploration further afield past Mars to Saturn’s moons and Jupiter (NASA, JAXA, ESA), and billionaire-funded space tourism dominating the news (SpaceX, Roscosmos) as wealthy civilians will soon be able to take to the heavens and view the Earth from a space hotel. The UK space program now finds itself shut out of numerous EU-led space projects; instead shifting its focus from previous collaborative projects with the ESA to working independently as the UKSA – responsible for the United Kingdom’s space activities under one single management. These manifestations of power divert attention from growing inequality in the world to other agendas removed from the commitment to the human cause here on Earth.

GONOGO (a futuristic, chrome mirrored rocket) intends to symbolise the twofold relationship we have towards each other, our planet at large or even our relationship to our neighbouring countries. ‘To leave or to stay’ can be extended from the Brexit slogans we have heard in recent years into a more complex study on human psychology conditioned to use binary oppositions as a fundamental organiser of our culture. GONOGO visualises the dilemmas we are facing – it embodies fantasy and our reality, our aspiration and our failure.