Muse, the Rolls-Royce Art Programme celebrates the global debut of the artworks created by the winners of the Spirit of Ecstasy Challenge. These three unique pieces are being exhibited at Cromwell Place, London, from 5-8 October 2022, before embarking on an international tour.
-Muse, the Rolls-Royce Art Programme, unveils artworks created by winners of the inaugural Spirit of Ecstasy Challenge, a biennial initiative celebrating the symbol of RollsRoyce
-Three winners, selected by an expert jury, have created textile artworks inspired by Rolls-Royce and the Spirit of Ecstasy figurine
-Works by Bi Rongrong, Ghizlane Sahli and Scarlett Yang are on show in an exhibition at Cromwell Place, London from 5-8 October 2022, before proceeding on a global tour
“The Spirit of Ecstasy is still our muse for the continued pursuit of excellence. She embodies what we because the House of Rolls-Royce stand for: try for perfection, interest to element and undying beauty. It is charming to peer our icon being converted into those 3 very particular expressions, pushing technical and conceptual boundaries. I would love to thank Bi Rongrong, Ghizlane Sahli and Scarlett Yang for his or her exquisite masterpieces celebrating a distinctive measurement of our iconic figurine, manifesting the interesting destiny of fabric design.” Anders Warming, Director of Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
Muse,the Rolls-Royce Art Programme celebrates the worldwide debut of the artistic endeavors created with the aid of using the winners of the Spirit of Ecstasy Challenge. These 3 particular portions are being exhibited at Cromwell Place, London, from 5-eight October 2022, earlier than embarking on an worldwide tour.
The Spirit of Ecstasy Challenge is a brand new biennial initiative that invitations rising artists from quite a number disciplines to create artistic endeavors stimulated the Rolls-Royce icon – the stunning figurine that has decorated the bonnet of each motor automobile created via way of means of the marque because 1911. Each version of the Spirit of Ecstasy Challenge will awareness on a one of a kind medium, tough individuals to push technical and conceptual boundaries. The inaugural 2022 version explores the capacity of textiles, inviting artists to create textile-primarily based totally artwork.
Winners Bi Rongrong, Ghizlan Sahli and Scarlett Young created 3 particular interpretations of the Rolls-Royce symbol. As a part of the innovative process, the artists met with Rolls-Royce craftsmen to percentage stories earlier than bringing their thoughts and revolutionary creations to life.
BI RONGRONG – STITCHED URBAN SKIN
Stitched Urban Skin (2022) is inspired by the multi-layered landscape of cities and their mesmerising reflections on the glossy surface of the Spirit of Ecstasy. Old and new are woven together: the artwork consists of three suspended layers of two-dimensional sheets made from specially treated metal, an animated LED light sheet and a Perspex sheet incorporating a material created using a traditional Chinese crochet technique. The use of metal in the work is inspired by the Rolls-Royce motor car surface and pays homage to the exceptional craftsmanship at the Home of Rolls-Royce. The piece draws on Bi’s encyclopaedic archive of urban imagery, utilising both ancient craftsmanship and innovative technologies, interlacing different locations and histories.
“This piece wasn’t inspired by a singular thing, it’s a blend of patterns connected to cities and nature – the way they grow is very similar. People only see what’s on the surface — the architecture and the trees — and underneath are the intertwined roots,” Bee said. She continued, “The Rolls-Royce team gave me complete creative freedom and encouraged me to try new things and be really bold. I experimented a lot and changed the whole picture, which ended up making it even more exciting. This experience opened up new possibilities for me and gave me a different perspective that I will use in my future work.”
GHIZLANE SAHLI – NISSA’S RINA (WOMAN’S SONG)
Resembling two triumphant wings about to take flight, Sahli’s artwork Nissa’s Rina (Woman’s Song) (2022) is a joyous celebration of femininity and freedom. The artwork explores the beauty of metamorphose and is composed almost entirely of salvaged materials: plastic bottles, plastic tubes, caps, covered with white silk and gold threadpurchased from the artisans in Marrakech’s Medina and copper embellished with gold leaf. For Nissa’s Rina (Woman’s Song), Sahli adopts her signature technique of wrapping cut bottles in thread, the“Alveoli, and building up each element into wing-like structures evocative of the Spirit of Ecstasy.
“The Spirit of Ecstasy – that elegant, free woman who crowns the most prestigious car in the world. A symbol of power, she opens her wings to take flight, and rules the world. What synchronicity for me! She embodies everything I want to express in my life today,” said Sahli. “Nissa’s Rina (women’s song) is intended to express the elegance, femininity and freedom of the spirit of ecstasy.”
SCARLETT YANG – TRANSIENT MATERIALITY (2022)
Scarlett Yang’s Transient Materiality (2022) is ahybrid work that consists of a physical and digital piece. The 1-metre-high sculpture is made of intertwining ribbons of synthetic biopolymer produced with liquid particles collected from the ocean and bound with algae photosynthetic organisms. The sculpture’s form, surface and colour all reflect the natural world: its unique texture was inspired the subtle intricacy of animal skin patterns and the structural resilience of translucent dragonfly wings. Made by pouring the liquid bio-polymer into a 3D-fabricated mould, while the ribbons’ green and purple hues were created through experiments with spirulina and other natural components.
Suspended in the air, the piece mesmerizes with its shimmering, iridescent qualities – an ethereal expression of elegance, reminiscent of the flying gown of the Spirit of Ecstasy. The accompanying digital element is a video documentation of the creative process as well as digital renderings of the sculpture, set to a futuristic soundscape.
“My work consists in exploring the physical properties that nature gracefully offers and enhancing them through a conscious and circular use of technology. The piece ‘Transient Materiality’ is ultimately meant to embellish the human body whilst serving a truly positive approach for the future of design”, commented Scarlett Yang.
The artists, invited to create their proposals for the Spirit of Ecstasy Challenge, have been nominated with the aid of using an worldwide professional committee. Their submissions have been reviewed with the aid of using a famend jury inclusive of Anders Warming, Director of Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Yoon Ahn, Creative Director of AMBUSH® and Director of Jewellery at Dior Men; Tim Marlow, Chief Executive and Director on the Design Museum, London; and Sumayya Vally, Founder and Principal at Counterspace Studio, Johannesburg. In April 2022, Muse introduced 3 winners who have been selected to carry their idea to existence with aid from Rolls-Royce.
The Spirit of Ecstasy Challenge is Muse’s 2nd procurement initiative. While the Dream Commission helps transferring photograph artists, the Spirit of Ecstasy Challenge is ready infinite creativity withinside the international of substances and crafts. The assignment is repeated each years, on every occasion exploring the infinite opportunities of the specific environments which are key to Rolls-Royce excellence, the usage of the Spirit of Ecstasy as a factor of inspiration.
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