Shingles inscribed with personal messages cover this squat hilltop pavilion, created by British designer Giles Miller as a rest stop for ramblers. Located in the Winterfold forest in the English county of Surrey, the Perspectives installation is situated along a scenic walking route. The elliptical-shaped structure is made of a steel framework covered in a series of cedar wood shingles, which were fixed into place by hand at specific angles.
“The site is at the top of a natural vista that was then cleared and flattened ready for the piece,” “Both the elliptical shape and the overlapping surface of Perspectives are organic architectural references inspired by the natural surroundings of the forest at Winterfold.”
“Closed and protective at the rear and main body, the surface shingles then open and flatten out to disperse at the front of the piece in celebration of the view in front.” Each of the cedar shingles is laser etched with initials, messages and poems collected by Miller from local schools and residents.
The designer intends the cedar parts to age naturally in the forest, gradually whitening over time. Perspectives is Miller’s second outdoor, site-specific project. Previously, he created a spherical sculpture formed from hundreds of reflective “pennies” for Devon’s Broomhill Sculpture Park.
His studio designed a similarly reflective piece for Clerkenwell Design Week 2013, creating a mirrored target out of thousands of brass and steel pixels. Miller also contributed an installation to this year’s Clerkenwell Design Week, in the form of four glass tile-covered “billboards”, designed to guide visitors through the festival.
Designer: Giles Miller
Photography: Richard Chivers and John Miller