On the Couch with Giles Miller

How did this collaboration with G.A come about?
 
‘It was very exciting when it all came about, I actually heard about the project when we’d already been shortlisted. The Hilton team were commissioning the project, the space and the sculpture itself. G.A Group were of course doing the interiors for the refurbishment and advising them on artistic direction for this piece. Minda Dowling, who is an art consultant, then recommended our studio for this particular piece. From there we presented some options and were chosen to move forward!’

Falling Still at London Hilton on Park Lane, can you tell us a little about this piece and the design process?
 
‘What was good is we were brought into the project at a stage when a clear direction and interior palette had been selected and there was only really a question on how this artwork would work in the space. So we started by looking at what’s the purpose and presence of this piece… We wanted it to be iconic and a focal point but we didn’t want it to intrude in the space too much. It was to be a sculptural piece but also divide the lobby space from the guest elevators. I’ve always been interested in these kinds of pieces, you’ve got an idea of what you need to achieve but so many options of how to achieve it.
We enjoyed this creative process… fusing an artistic starting point with a special requirement or an architectural functionality without compromise on either side.’

”Falling Still’ comprises over 2000 aluminium leaves, composed in a static yet energetic explosion, manifesting ideas of movement, togetherness and also individuality. The composition of the piece appears as a kind of tiered wave, rolling through the space.
 
The name derives from the idea that it’s a frozen moment in time, timeless, capturing the movement of the leaves, whirling through the space and ‘Falling Still’.’

Where did the inspiration of leaves come from?
 
‘G.A presented us with this amazing document outlining their whole approach to the building, which is quite a challenge in itself to communicate the design. London Hilton on Park Lane was an iconic building when it opened in the 60’s, so G.A wanted to infuse the space with this easy glamour while giving it a new lease of life. They introduced me to the sculptor Harry Bertoia from the same era as when the hotel first opened, who I really resonated with… and I must admit I was also very surprised I hadn’t heard of before!
 
Initially I’d wanted the sculpture to represent movement and the energy of the people who flow through the hotel. There was a tug of war between myself and the client a little bit but they wanted to be clear about the story and pay homage to the beautiful location with Hyde Park right in front. So it was quite a literal translation with the most simplified graphic version of a leaf shape, which I think retrospectively, works really nicely.’

What was your aspiration for this piece?
 
‘The ideal for us is to produce work that then inspires other artists and informs other pieces that are inspired by what we do. Sometimes I don’t think there is enough consideration of art or styling in a space. So our goal was to create a piece of art that balances an artistic sculpture with architectural functionality and in turn inspires others to incorporate these kind of pieces in interiors and hopefully see more and more of this in the future.’

How was the overall experience working with G.A Group?
 
‘The collaboration worked really well, it was a great team! And, I’m not just saying this for the purpose of this, but it was a perfect collaboration from our side. The client was open minded and happy to let go of the reins to the right degree. It allowed our studio and G.A to have creative freedom which I think is quite a hard thing for clients to do usually, especially a hotel chain…
 
The interior designers being really front and centre of the commissioning process is fantastic. David & the team perfectly bridged the communication between myself and the client which lead to a balanced collaboration with Hilton. David was constantly supporting me with a lot of the creative decision making and development that we were doing.
It’s a hard thing to commission an art piece, it’s an unfamiliar process for a lot of people as there’s a lot of linguistical and technical elements but G.A really did hold my hand and Hilton’s hand at the same time and guide us through so well, I’ll be forever grateful to David in this team for that. There was obviously issues as we went through the process, but they were able to balance both sides and made the process seamless.
 
It was a bit of a dream project in terms of the way that it worked and working with G.A, they just got it and it was a good team. So I’m really glad that everyone on all sides has been able to enjoy the results!’