Nearly 900 Fiber Optic ‘Stars’ Grace the Headlining of this One-off Rolls-Royce Wraith Collab with Artist Mohammed Kazem

Nearly 900 Fiber Optic ‘Stars’ Grace the Headlining of this One-off Rolls-Royce Wraith Collab with Artist Mohammed Kazem

Published: April 8, 2017 | By: American Luxury Staff

One-off custom Rolls-Royces may now be ordered with a heavenly headliner; at night it may dazzle, but in daylight it is sure to provoke deliberation.

The newest collaboration between the luxury carmaker and designers comes by way of artist Mohammed Kazem, and it involves hand-sewing nearly a thousand fiber optic cables into the cabin.

The star field headliner is not a new feature in a Rolls; the Black Badge series features a ‘Starlight Headliner’, and it was available as an option on the now defunct Phantom, too—although not quite as bright a vision as Kazem’s, or as interesting, in either case. But the idea has been around in practice since 2012.

Kazem’s work here is more of a statement than an atmospheric embellishment. When not illuminated, the headliner is a collection of symbols: coordinates, and specifically the coordinate origins of the Rolls craftspeople who worked on the car. But, taken together, they’re also evocative of wanderlust and travel; the potentiality hiding in a touring car. And, if you become curious, the jumble might raise a few questions about arrival, departure, and location.

After dark, though, the fiber optics are illuminated, and the star field replaces the coordinates. It’s a nifty novelty, and one of the more appealing custom features Rolls has floated in its bespoke marketing campaign.

An artist of the digital age, Kazem hails from the UAE, but works in Dubai. His installations include ‘Date Streams’, and ‘Directions,’ a series which looks at the interrelationship between identity, perception, and geography.

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