At an exclusive event in London last night, hosted by Rolls-Royce Chief Executive Officer Torsten Müller-Ötvös, two highly anticipated new works were premiered.
The marque’s global centre of excellence, the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex, was the source of inspiration for both works, the first an exciting collaboration between Emirati artist Mohammed Kazem and the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Design collective and the second, the next in a series of short films created by the marque to introduce the world to the House of Rolls-Royce and to celebrate its rich heritage.
Kazem, a pioneer of contemporary art in the UAE, was commissioned for the Rolls-Royce Art Programme. The new work is formed of two parts and furthers the artist’s Directions series, a body of work which renders transient phenomena, in this case data points, into a tangible form.
The first, a sculptural piece, consists of a group of numbers and letters created from steel, which are the coordinates of the craftsmen and women from the Home of Rolls-Royce that Kazem encountered on visiting Goodwood. As the data points indicate specific locations, they also bear a sense of the environments they represent, encapsulating ideological elements. These numbers and letters, although architecturally composed, are displayed in a spontaneous manner, encouraging an interaction with the viewer through reflections of the individual and their surrounding environment.
On visiting the Home of Rolls-Royce, the residing Bespoke Design team and Kazem found a mutual respect for one another’s art. Collaboratively, they were moved to create a unique motor car, which weaves Kazem’s interest in latitude and longitude coordinates into the heart of its very being. A Rolls-Royce Wraith forms the second part of Kazem’s art work, commissioned by Abu Dhabi Motors, furthering still his Directions series.
Patrons of Rolls-Royce frequently request that the master craftspeople behind the creation of their motor car sign their work. Here, this notion is enhanced by using the coordinates of Rolls-Royce’s artisans and physically integrating these data points into the fabric of the motor car. The Bespoke Starlight Headliner alone is the product of nearly 90 hours of painstaking work, with 863 individually placed fibre-optic threads sewn by hand to complement 60,000 individually embroidered stitches. A Bespoke backlit clock is embellished with the coordinates, whilst a hand-painted feature line reminds the viewer of the locality of the Home of Rolls-Royce and Abu Dhabi Motors, the starting and ending destinations for this Bespoke Wraith.
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars commented, “The Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex, is a source of inspiration for artists, patrons and craftspeople alike. It is a delight to see Mohammed Kazem’s artistic practice envelop Wraith, creating a motor car which truly embodies the spirit of the craftsmen and women from our global centre of luxury excellence.”
Of the commission, Mohammed Kazem said, “I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience of being part of the Rolls-Royce Art Programme. From visiting Goodwood, the home of the marque and taking inspiration from their master craftspeople, to working with the Rolls-Royce design team on the concept for a Wraith incorporating key elements of my work and ultimately, allowing me to create a metal sculpture for the first time. I am pleased that the work and car can first be shown in London, close to where the process began, before finally going on show in Abu Dhabi next month.”
Mohammed Kazem’s new work for the Rolls-Royce Art Programme will be publicly exhibited at the Rolls-Royce Abu Dhabi showroom from 27 April – 25 May 2017.
Artisans at Rolls-Royce commit to an undertaking of delivering objects that represent the very best of human endeavour, creating motor cars that become unique works of art in their own right. Often it starts with a simple inspiration; a colour, a piece of art or even a significant event in a patron’s life. No two Rolls-Royces are therefore ever the same, barring one shared characteristic; each represents an expression of the life and passions of its patron. But they all share in the fact that each motor car represents an individual timeless Bespoke commission.
The second in a series of short films will be premiered by the marque at www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com on 7 April 2017, taking us to the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England, where Rolls-Royce’s global centre of luxury excellence resides.
Academy Award winning actress Kate Winslet once again becomes the voice of the Spirit of Ecstasy, leading us on a journey to a place where colourists and sculptors, designers and engineers collaborate under one roof, with a single objective… To deliver perfection.
The first in the series of short films was premiered in December 2016, which shared the story of how the Spirit of Ecstasy came to be not only the Rolls-Royce muse, but also to be a symbol that represents the very best of the best, becoming the great icon of luxury excellence that serves as our beacon today.
At the Home of Rolls-Royce, the art of true luxury is practised. The materials are sourced with no concession to compromise. The craftsmen and women are guided by the philosophy of co-founder Sir Henry Royce, to “Take the best that exists and make it better. If it doesn’t exist, design it.” It is here that Rolls-Royce constantly raise the standards by which all other luxury goods are judged and where it cements its proud standing as the most celebrated luxury house in the world.
