In the UAE, portraits of the country's leaders can be seen in offices and storefronts, on buildings and car windows, and as paintings, 3D sculptures and light works.
Recently, however, an architecture and design studio from London unveiled something else quite unique – an image of Sheikh Zayed, the Founding Father, made up of 29,000 reflective discs.
Spanning 15 metres, the large-scale installation is the work of Giles Miller Studio, which often explores the use of materials and light, as well as technology and handmade compositions through its projects.
There is inherent variation in the artwork depending on the surrounding light levels ... and even the time of day or night it is viewed
The portrait, which is located in the DoubleTree by Hilton Dubai M Square Hotel & Residences, exemplifies this method, as the metallic discs are carefully fixed on to a backing at different angles in order to control how the light reflects on the surface.
“The angle variation creates tonal differences in the image, and we use that effect to control and illustrate the image in question,” explains Giles Miller, the studio’s founder.
Dubai company Two Art Consultants was behind the commission, as well as the hotel's notable art collection, which has been listed as one of the top nine for the Hilton brand around the world. "We wanted to create something artistically innovative and contextually expressive for the lobby," says co-founder and creative director Sophie Kaila.
"This artwork is a visual testament to a man who dedicated his life to improving his country and humanity.”
Who is Giles Miller?
Miller, who studied at London’s Royal College of Art, launched his eponymous studio in 2010, building it up after working on a commission for the Stella McCartney brand.
Over the years, the studio has experimented with material and scale, producing site-specific designs and sculptural pieces.
"Despite the evolution of the studio and our work, the concept of manipulating material to control reflection has been a constant in our methodology," Miller says. "And we still maintain the same creative approach across projects of hugely varying scales, from jewellery to murals, and from sculpture to architecture."
For the Sheikh Zayed work, Miller says his team studied the way the light would change within the space and how visitors would move around the work. Assembling it took a team of eight people three weeks to complete.
The focus of the piece is not simply how the discs have been assembled, but the dimensions of colour that reveal themselves depending on the viewer’s perspective.
“By using reflection as a medium, there is inherent variation in the artwork depending on the surrounding light levels, the position of the viewer relative to the piece, and even the time of day or night it is viewed,” Miller says.
Giles Miller Studio's Sheikh Zayed portrait is only one of many installations the company has completed in the region. Other projects include designs for Etihad Airways airport lounges in Abu Dhabi, Colab in Dubai Design District and Level Shoes at The Dubai Mall.
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Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH DETAILS
Liverpool 2
Wijnaldum (14), Oxlade-Chamberlain (52)
Genk 1
Samatta (40)
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
match info
Chelsea 2
Willian (13'), Ross Barkley (64')
Liverpool 0
SERIES INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series
Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
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The top three sides advance to the 2022 World Cup Qualifier.
The bottom four sides are relegated to the 2022 World Cup playoff
1 United States 8 6 2 0 0 12 0.412
2 Scotland 8 4 3 0 1 9 0.139
3 Namibia 7 4 3 0 0 8 0.008
4 Oman 6 4 2 0 0 8 -0.139
5 UAE 7 3 3 0 1 7 -0.004
6 Nepal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 PNG 8 0 8 0 0 0 -0.458
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Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
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We weren’t supposed to survive but we did.
We weren’t supposed to remember but we did.
We weren’t supposed to write but we did.
We weren’t supposed to fight but we did.
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We weren’t supposed to rap but we did.
We weren’t supposed to find allies but we did.
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We weren’t supposed to return but WE ARE.
Amira Sakalla
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
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White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
the pledge
I pledge to uphold the duty of tolerance
I pledge to take a first stand against hate and injustice
I pledge to respect and accept people whose abilities, beliefs and culture are different from my own
I pledge to wish for others what I wish for myself
I pledge to live in harmony with my community
I pledge to always be open to dialogue and forgiveness
I pledge to do my part to create peace for all
I pledge to exercise benevolence and choose kindness in all my dealings with my community
I pledge to always stand up for these values: Zayed's values for tolerance and human fraternity
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