It began, fittingly, over coffee on the Rocher. In May 2024, artist David Shilling and aerospace engineer Alan met in Monaco, where Shilling shared an idea he had carried for years: to paint in space. Selected for a civilian Axiom mission to the International Space Station in 2019, the plan was halted by the pandemic. “But he was determined to leave a mark on Art and Space History,” Alan recalls. “After a few weeks of calculations, David approved the plan. That’s when we started creating this unique idea - two minds, two ages, two fields, two nationalities - working to unite art and science in one country, Monaco.”
Their partnership began after meeting at the Elevate Monaco 2023 Space Conference, where both presented their work. “I believed if you want a great collaboration, each member must respect the other’s expertise,” Shilling says. “Alan focused on the science and tech, while I took on the art - and, being much older, some of the management too.”
Alan was born in Italy to an Italian father and Lebanese mother and grew up in Monaco. His passion for space began at age 12, leading him to create IMF.Rockets, the first rocketry entity in Monaco. By the end of 2023, he had earned certifications to build and launch rockets.
Shilling, a London native and Monaco resident for over two decades, is known for his creative innovation and long history of giving back through art and charitable work. “I’m a make-a-holic,” he says. “Every day I love making something new or moving my projects forward.”
The art rocket took nine months to design and hand-build. “Everything was bolted, glued, and drilled by my own hands,” Alan explains. “Something you typically don’t see in aerospace companies.” The rocket was not just an engineering project but a work of art - from the colored smoke at liftoff to its parachute design.
A distinctive feature was the QR code engraved with names from across the globe. “We had support from Australians, Asians, school kids in Africa, and of course Europe, the UK, and the U.S.,” Shilling says. “It was humanity united - for art, for science, for the future.”
The launch took place on September 28, 2024, in the Netherlands. “As soon as I pushed the button, time stopped,” Alan recalls. “The rocket shot up in a cloud of purple and red smoke - it was gorgeous. The sound, the power, the feeling - I just wish everyone could feel that once in their life.”
For Shilling, the message was clear. “We managed to get the first ever rocket launched only for the sake of art and humanity - with no association to war or defense. Mission accomplished.”
Alan adds, “We proved space exploration can have thousands of reasons - not just scientific ones. Space has no boundaries.”
Both now look to the future - Alan continuing toward a career in aerospace engineering, and Shilling preparing his next creative “launches.”
From a quiet coffee on the Rocher to a sky streaked with color, the first art rocket has already done what great art always does: it has made history - and it has made us look up.