This year the Independent Hotel Show has partnered with consultant Marianie Morazzani of M.M-Art Consult and French artists Chloé Genevaux and Guillaume Bounoure to bring a kinetic artwork to the show's entrance area, The Lobby.

M.M-Art Consult, founded by Marianie Morazzani, stands as a prominent international art agency known for its exceptional contributions to the art world. With a keen focus on meticulously curated collections, groundbreaking exhibitions, and innovative projects, M.M-Art Consult consistently crafts transformative experiences that captivate luxury brands and art enthusiasts alike. What truly distinguishes the agency is its important commitment to environmental consciousness.

When tasked by the Independent Hotel Show with presenting an artwork that could generate a positive impact aligned with the show's eco-friendly ethos, Marianie embarked on a mission to identify the perfect visual artists within her talented pool of creatives. Upon encountering the works of Chloé Genevaux and Guillaume Bounoure, there was no doubt that they were the right artists to show . Their artistic prowess, characterised by architectural mastery and a portrayal of French refinement, deeply resonated with the agency's vision. It became evident that Chloé and Guillaume possessed the unique ability to bring to life an artwork that not only mirrored the agency's dedication to sustainability but also communicated profound beauty and philosophical depth.

The Independent Hotel Show sat down with Chloé and Guillaume to learn more about their work and its connection to the hotel and hospitality sectors. 

How did you start working together?

Guillaume: I was a volunteer at the Cantercel organic architecture centre, which is a place where professionals and students meet and work on projects in the spirit of Franck Lloyd Right's Taliesin. I had to pick up a student at the station for the summer experimental work camps. It was Chloé. The place where we camped was wild and vast, situated on the plateaux of the Cévennes, which are like a green desert…We just went to watch the sunset together and that's how it all started.

Like the architects, painters and musicians who have been our mentors, we seek to develop our capacity to be present in space, in the spirit of the organic nature of living things. This method consists of imagining works of art as living beings with their own intrinsic life. So our work began with love, like all living things, a deep teaching linked to nature and the search for a path through contact with extraordinary people. It all stems from that and from another encounter with a brilliant mathematician and architect, Thierry, who initiated and guided us in our research into the geometry of folded systems. Since then, we've gone on to do a huge number of things, always working together. It takes a lot of listening, humility and love in our work and as a couple. It's this complementarity and complicity that have enabled us to evolve on so many levels together.

Can you describe the piece that will be exhibited at the Independent Hotel Show?

We fold and cut light-sensitive surfaces that act like mirrors. This piece is an a-gravitational fold. It's a mobile designed to be installed in a park or in an open space such as a reception area. The wind sets in motion a particular movement, in which the work will appear to float.

What inspired this piece and the choice of materials?

We love to watch leaves move in the wind, each tree has its own rhythm, its own dance. This mobile sculpture is inspired by that. The fold represents lightness, simplicity and movement. The light on the folds of the work will make it metamorphose with the dance of time, a unique moment for each person. The surface of the work is special, changing colour according to the angle of observation and revealing the light on the folds.

Depending on the context, we create wall pieces or mobile sculptures of varying sizes, choosing materials to suit the location. We use a durable material, stainless steel, which we can polish, paint or brush depending on the work. It's a material that can be recycled ad infinitum and is generally made up of 85% recycled iron.

What do you think works of art can bring to hotels?

These "Apparitions" that we create by folding and cutting are based on intuition and the sincerity of the gesture. The work remains faithful to the idea of a simple fold. It is the light on the surface, coloured or mirrored, that recreates the work at each moment.

This is ideal for a reception area, because it creates a direct emotion with no message other than attention to the present. So depending on your sensitivity, you may or may not see the work, and some people will see themselves in it or enter into a different relationship with the space through it. This is perfectly in tune with the flow of people moving around and waiting in these spaces. The changing pattern creates animation and the 'figure' may always appear as a pareidolia, but will remain subjective, as a mystery.

We can create folds studied specifically for a commission or in collaboration with the architects and decorators of a project, in accordance with the "spirit" of the place.