A Tribute to an International Towers Icon: The End of an Era in Festive Installations
Maria Claudia. Our much-loved floral mastermind.
If you’ve been working at International Towers a while and in touch with our socials, you may know all about Maria Claudia. The globetrotting model turned master art florist and the team at her business Samambaia have been designing our delightfully sustainable lobby installations since we first opened the doors in 2016.
Maria is especially renowned for the incredible vision and passion she throws into designing and managing the installation of our annual festive installations. But the festive installation currently on display at International Towers is the first ever not to come from Maria’s mind, because she’s decided that her 2023 work will be the last.
We asked Maria to reminisce about the past and tell us what’s next for her.
This is the end of an era. How do you feel?
“Wow, when I hear ‘end of an era’ it hits my heart hard,” says Maria with a wistful smile. ”I have absolutely loved being able to create installations for International Towers each year and feel so, so grateful. You don’t often come to closely know a client and group of people where respect for each other and the environment are everyone’s core values. It has been beyond a pleasure and there has been so much learning for myself and all my team."
“We started with what we thought was a ‘big’ installation in the first year, only to learn from it and realise that with ceilings so high, we needed to push the limits way more. And I love how the work was driven by the importance of incorporating our indigenous artists and weavers, supporting different communities each year. The inspiration to complement this community spirit by incorporating suitable flowers and plants was my favourite part of all.”
Maria suddenly stops reminiscing to make a passionate point. “But I am not gone for good remember,” she says in a reassuring tone, “I’ve stepped back from the big festive installations, but I’ll still be happily caring for the permanent plant installs around International Towers, as well as creating smaller installations throughout the year.”
So, why the decision to stop the big installations?
“Moving on from the festive installs was a very hard decision, it took me a long time and a lot of thought. The reality is that I’m not as young as I was when we started in 2016, and my body reminds me of that every day. It’s a physically demanding job, needing countless hours throughout the two weeks of installing, not to mention all the pre-production time and exhaustive planning to ensure it all goes smoothly.
“Another major reason behind my decision, and one that I think is really important to mention on behalf of all women in the workforce out there, is the impact that menopause has on women’s bodies and minds. Aside from the physical impacts, the anxiety, depression and brain fog that we can get during menopause is very real, and needs to be acknowledged. I was a very confident woman up until I reached menopause, having never felt anxious or depressed.
“But then, all of a sudden, menopause hit. I lost confidence in my ability to deliver, I felt a new heavy pressure to do things better than the previous years, and I realised I needed to look after my physical and mental health. I just could not put myself through it again.“
I’ve loved doing the big festive installations at International Towers all these years, but all good things come to an end. I’ve put myself first and I’m proud of that decision.”
Tell us about the Indigenous Australia themes in your work.
“We’ve worked with a number of indigenous communities over the years, designing installations inspired by their culture and their history. The focus has always been to work with as much native Australian flora as we could, bearing in mind that we needed to use florals and foliage that would last and dry well over the months that the installations were in place. We also favoured working with species that we knew would be able to be reused in future installations, like the big branches and the gigantic Bismarckia fronds we featured a few times."
Photo by @samambaia_flowers: Festive 2023 Installation
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Photo by @samambaia_flowers: Festive 2022 Installation
What was your first festive installation at International Towers?
“For the first large end of the year installation, we used beautiful Silver Birch tree branches intertwined with rope and filled with Staghorns, Rhipsalis and Bromeliad plants. The installation was surrounded by red Poinsettia plants, a classical festive season plant, and it was like tropical meets Christmas. Compared to how we evolved in our work here over following years, that first installation was minimalistic and clean.
“And I love that we are still using those same Silver Birch branches today, nine years on, except now they have been covered with the indigenous fabrics we used in our 2019 installations.”
Can you pick one or two festive favourites from those nine years?
“I knew you’d ask me something like that, but looking at each one individually, I honestly can’t pick one. I think we did a stellar job with our last festive installation in 2023, which was very different from anything else we had done before and I felt very proud of what we achieved.
“Our objective was to create something sculptural, with tight foliage and floral in a casing to house the incredible works of the Tjanpi weavers which were woven over abandoned car seat frames. The inspiration was inspired the Bungle Bungle range of sandstone domes in Western Australia, especially how they shape when seen from above.”
What’s next for you and the Samambaia business?
“After taking the last year to focus on myself and my health, I am starting to get the feeling that I must start working with my hands again. I want to continue doing my dried sculptures, on a much smaller scale than our International Towers work, and improving my weaving skills is also on my ‘to-do’ list. I have been taking weaving courses and it makes me very happy, it reminds me how much I love working with natural materials and using my hands to create something from scratch.
“I think the Samambaia business will exist in one form or another for as long as I live.”
Anything you’d like to say to your friends at International Towers?
“First of all, thank you for believing in me and my team’s work, and thank you for always being there to help and make our jobs easier whenever we needed it. Thank you for encouraging and supporting indigenous communities, the arts, and for continuing to fight for our environment.
“What an absolute pleasure it has been and what a dream team you are! And I know that International Towers will continue to bring new artists into the scene, giving each and every one of them the same amazing support you gave me.”
Photo by @samambaia_flowers: Festive 2021 Installation
Kim Dawson. Our fund manager & massive Maria fan.
You may know Kim Dawson. She’s the International Towers fund manager and can often be seen around the precinct taking care of business on behalf of our community. A lesser-known fact about Kim is that she’s been a huge supporter and devoted fan of Maria and her work since the very first festive installation was an idea on a whiteboard back in 2016.
How are you feeling on this momentous occasion?
“It’s truly sad,” says Kim without skipping a beat. “I got goosebumps just saying that. Maria is part of our fabric at International Towers. She’s perfectly in tune with the way our community thinks and behaves, she shares our values. And Maria has brought true magic to our lobbies.
“I’ll really miss seeing her ideas take flight, it’s an experience that’s hard to beat. The journey of Maria’s installations is unique, and they all resonate profoundly, from celebrations and milestones, to bush fires and floods. And the ease with which she makes these creations come to life, how does a human do that?”
Can you share any favourites from over the years?
“That’s easy,” smiles Kim, “the woven car door frames in Maria’s Bungle Bungle inspired festive installation last year”, there’s always a delightful surprise in her work.
“Also, seeing Maria and Malcolm, our Head of Partnerships, deal with the logistics of making those installations happen is really impressive. I‘m lucky, I just get to hear when issues are resolved, but those two and their teams have been in the thick of it numerous times, working all hours of the weekend before launch navigating unforeseen challenges.
Any words for Maria to mark this end of an era?
“Just to say thank you, Maria, for your deeply valued partnership, your inspiring passion, your one-of-a-kind creativity, and your flawless execution. We were truly lucky to find someone so talented, and someone so up our street. People make special trips to come and see International Towers festive installations, they are a big talking point, all because of you and your team.
“From all of us at International Towers, the very best of luck and love in your next chapter, which we’re all very happy and grateful for, will still include us. We really look forward to having you take care of our permanent plants across the precinct long into the future.”
Photo by @samambaia_flowers: Festive 2019 Installation
Photo by @samambaia_flowers: Festive 2018 Installation
Don’t miss our 2024 installation, on display in the lobby until early 2025.