Motoring / Cars and Bikes

Gritty yet Luxe: Rolls-Royce Black Badge in Tokyo After Hours

Rolls-Royce commissioned three international photographers, among them, SIngapore’s own Darren Chan, to capture its popular Black Badge collection cruising down the streets of Tokyo for a week-long exhibition.

Jul 10, 2019 | By LUXUO

British luxury automaker Rolls-Royce has a reputation for being sophisticated yet daring, classic yet contemporary. So it is hardly surprising that the company has chosen Tokyo, a city equally known for its polarising qualities, to serve as the backdrop for a new photography exhibition based around its noir-inspired, performance-focused Black Badge series.

Simply titled “Black Badge: Tokyo After Hours”, the graphic curation is both a celebration of Rolls-Royce’s “dark interpretation” of their signature ultra high-end automobiles, and Tokyo’s unique charm.

Singaporean photographer Darren Chan sees a striking resemblance between Shinjuku and the Wraith Black Badge

Gritty yet Luxe: Rolls-Royce Black Badge in Tokyo After Hours

According to Paul Harris, Regional Director for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Asia Pacific, Japan is a logical place for the exhibition, as the company has enjoyed tremendous popularity there in recent years.

“The visual diversity of the Tokyo cityscape speaks of the diverse enterprises that have brought success to Rolls-Royce’s Tokyo clientele – tech and trade on one hand, creative industries and traditional arts on the other.” – Paul Harris, Regional Director, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Asia Pacific

The uptown essence of both the Wraith Black Badge and glitzy Ginza are captured in this photograph by Yoshifumi Ogawa

The exhibition, which runs from now until July 13, 2019 at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Tokyo, 2-7-17 Shiba, Minato-ku, aims to highlight these night-and-day characteristics, by showcasing all three models in the Black Badge collection – Dawn, Wraith and Ghost – through the lens of three internationally renowned photographers.

Visitors will be treated to a selection of 18 photographs, taken between 2017 and 2019.

Red hot: The Magma Red of the Dawn Black Badge shines bright in the Tokyo night

Up first is local photographer Yoshifumi Ogawa, who offers his take on the modernity and antiquity of his home city, in a presentation that starts with the sleek Wraith Black Badge set against the upscale glitz of Ginza. He then switches to the bold Ghost Black Badge, which he uses to cross the Rainbow Bridge to finish his tour at the ancient palace moats and quiet temple grounds of Asakusa in the sturdy Ghost Black Badge.

The Dawn Black Badge was British photographer Mark Riccioni’s vehicle of choice. He took off from Akihabara, Tokyo’s tech and gaming district. There, Riccioni managed to capture some of the most spectacular nightscapes of the neighborhood, including that of neon signs, the neighborhood’s most dominant feature, reflecting off of the Dawn’s Magma Red body paint.

From the lens of Darren Chan: Two Wraith Black Badge stand side by side in the still of the night

The last, but certainly not the least perspective, comes from Singaporean photographer Darren Chan. Chan, no stranger to the city lights of Singapore, is drawn first to the vivid glow of Shinjuku, where the Wraith Black Badge stands like a black stallion in a field of electric flowers. He ends his expedition at the Tokyo Bay in the Wraith, in which its comfort and effortless dynamics provided the perfect foil for him to unwind.


 
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