MINIATURE MODELS
Maggie West creates miniature models as a way to explore ideas for large-scale installations. These small sculptures help her test out shapes, colors, and layouts that could eventually grow into full-size artworks—like the one she built for Coachella.
Working in miniature allows West to quickly visualize and refine her concepts. Each model offers a glimpse into the early stages of her creative process, showing how large installations begin with focused experimentation on a smaller scale. This page features a selection of these models and the ideas behind them.
This model represents an new installation concept by West, showcasing her signature floral photography in two distinct color palettes. One side features warm, vibrant hues—magenta, orange, violet and pinks—while the opposite side shifts to cool tones like teal, purple, and shades of blues. The piece is designed to rotate, allowing viewers to experience the transition between these contrasting color schemes in a dynamic, shifting display.
A small cut-out figure of the artist is included to show scale and demonstrate how visitors could interact with the full-sized installation. In the proposed version, viewers would be able to stand on either side of the rotating platform, fully surrounded by the chosen palette. The model offers a glimpse into how Maggie’s photographic work can evolve into an immersive, sculptural environment that changes depending on where you stand.
This scene is based on a blue desert scene from West’s animated piece in the Terra exhibit at Outernet London. The model captures the surreal atmosphere of the original animation, with sculptural desert elements arranged beneath a soft, dreamlike sky.
At the back of the model, a rotating panel features West’s moon and star trail photography, creating a sense of motion and nightfall. A small cut-out of the artist is included to show scale and suggest how a viewer might experience the full-sized installation. This piece offers a glimpse into how Maggie translates her digital landscapes into physical environments, blending light, space, and photographic detail.
Here we see a model of an archway structure is wrapped in vibrant red and gold imagery, featuring plants and flowers from West’s collections of floral photography.
A small cut-out of the artist stands at the base of the arch to show scale and suggest how viewers might walk beneath or around the structure in a full-sized installation.
This miniature model is a fantasy storefront window concept inspired by Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2010 Plato’s Atlantis collection. The design features West’s kaleidoscopic photography of butterfly wings, mirroring the collection’s futuristic and otherworldly aesthetic.
At the center of the model, a tiny mannequin displays one of the collection’s iconic looks, set against the vivid, layered backdrop. A small cut-out of the artist is included to show scale and suggest how the display would appear in a real retail environment.
This miniature model is a storefront window was inspired by Dior’s 2009 collection. The design features West’s delicate photography of magnolia branches, arranged to form a soft, organic outline around the display space.
The botanical imagery adds a sense of elegance and calm, echoing the romantic tone of the collection. A small cut-out of the artist is included to show scale and suggest how the full-sized window might frame a mannequin or product display. The model offers a quiet, nature-inspired vision for a luxury retail environment, blending photography and design into a unified visual concept.
This miniature model is inspired by the Versace’s iconic green jungle print dress from the 2000 collection. The design features West’s vibrant tropical plant photography, including lush imagery of pothos, monstera, and other dense greenery.
The layered botanical elements echo the bold, sensual energy of the original dress, transforming the display into an immersive slice of jungle. A small cut-out of the artist is included to show scale and suggest how the full-sized installation would surround the viewer or frame a featured garment.