Art That Moves
Rolls-Royce has always been a form of automotive art but now they have gone a step further with their latest bespoke releases: a series of six bespoke Phantom Extended Series II vehicles known as “The Six Elements.” This unprecedented project represents the convergence of fine art, design, technology, and craftsmanship, and is the result of a collaboration between the automaker and world-renowned British artist Sacha Jafri.
Each of the six vehicles is completely unique, featuring its own specially-commissioned artwork hand-painted by Jafri and displayed in the Gallery, a glass-enclosed space running the length of the Phantom’s fascia. The artworks are inspired by the traditional elements of earth, water, fire, air, and space, with the sixth element, humanity, referencing Jafri’s best-known work, “The Journey of Humanity,” which holds the Guinness World Record for the largest painting on canvas.
“Through my work, I aim to combine the power of art with a stripped-back essence of expression, love, empathy, and intention, to inspire a more conscious and intention-filled humanity, striving for a reconnected world; reunited by the common goal of a more hopeful and sustainable future for our planet,” Jafri said of the project.
The Six Elements project was designed, developed, and hand-crafted by the Bespoke Collective at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, in collaboration with the resident Bespoke designer at the Rolls-Royce Private Office in Dubai. The project began in late 2020 and took two years to complete. In addition to the individual Gallery artworks, the cars feature a number of additional bespoke elements that reflect the automaker’s unrivaled capabilities. These include Jafri’s personal Heart-motif in the hand-painted Coachline and a unique Six-Elements engraved base for each car’s Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament.
Michelle Lusby, Bespoke Lead Designer based at the Rolls-Royce Private Office in Dubai, said of the project: “For us as Bespoke designers, it’s a wonderful privilege to work with a world-renowned artist like Sacha Jafri. We saw this project as a unique opportunity for an exchange of ideas between the art world and our own specialisms in design, materials, and craftsmanship; that sense of discovery and shared inspiration really shines out from these amazing cars.”
The Six Elements project was born out of a conversation between Jafri, who frequently donates his works or the proceeds from them to charity, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Together, they developed the idea of creating six individual masterpieces that could also serve as a means to donate funds for charities operating in the fields of health, sustainability, and education. As such, each car features not only its own original Jafri artwork but also its own unique non-fungible token (NFT), which the owner can sell independently if they choose to do so. With every trade of the NFT, a royalty will be paid into a digital wallet, raising funds for future charitable donations.
