Es Devlin

Esmeralda "Es" Devlin CBE RDI (/ɛz/; born 24 September 1971[1]) is an English artist and stage designer[2] who works in a range of media, often mapping light and projected film onto kinetic sculptural forms.[3][4]

Es Devlin

CBE RDI
Devlin in 2016
Born
Esmeralda Devlin

(1971-09-24) 24 September 1971
Kingston upon Thames, London, England
Education
Occupation(s)Artist and designer
SpouseJack Galloway
Children2
Awards
Websiteesdevlin.com

Early life

Devlin was born in Kingston upon Thames, London, on 24 September 1971.[1][5] She studied English literature at Bristol University, followed by a Foundation Course in Fine Art at Central St. Martin's eventually specialising in theatre design.[6] While undertaking her studies, she prepared the props for Le Cirque Invisible, the circus company founded by Victoria Chaplin and Chaplin's husband, Jean-Baptiste Thierrée.[6]

Career

Her practice began in narrative theatre[7] and experimental opera[8][9] After a period working for London's Bush Theatre, she first worked for the National Theatre in 1998 when Trevor Nunn asked her to design the set for a revival of Harold Pinter's Betrayal.[6] She has since worked on sculptural designs for the theatre.[10][11] "Each of her designs is an attack on the notion that a set is merely scenery" wrote Andrew O'Hagan in The New Yorker in 2016. Devlin "is in demand because she can enter the psychic ether of each production and make it glow with significance."[6]

In September 2018 it was announced that Devlin will design the UK Pavilion at the 2020 World Expo in Dubai.[12] Known as the Poem Pavilion,[13] it featured an illuminated "message to space" to which each of the Expo's anticipated 25 million visitors would be invited to contribute.[14] The UK's participation theme was "Innovating for a Shared Future".[15] Devlin is the first woman to be commissioned by the UK since world expositions began in 1851.[16]

Her luminous fluorescent red Fifth Lion sculpture roared A.I. generated collective poetry to crowds in Trafalgar Square during London Design Festival September 2018.[17] The Singing Tree, her collective choral carol installation at the Victoria and Albert Museum, fused machine-learning with sound and light[18] and was viewed by over ten thousand visitors during Christmas 2017; her Mirrormaze[19] generated queues around the block in Peckham in 2016. Further explorations of labyrinthine and map based geometries led to the 7000 square foot hotel room odyssey Room2022[20] at Art Basel Miami 2017 and the projection-mapped ovoid model city MASK at Somerset House 2018.[21]

The designer collaborated with the theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli on an interpretation of The Order of Time read by Benedict Cumberbatch at the rooftop art space, BOLD Tendencies in Peckham in September 2018.[22][23]

Devlin has made large scale touring stage sculptures in collaboration with Beyoncé,[24] Kanye West,[3] Adele,[25] U2,[26] The Weeknd,[4] Lorde, Pet Shop Boys,[27] and the Royal Opera House[25] in London. Devlin also designed the London Olympics closing ceremony in 2012[24][28] and the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics.[29]

Her work has received three Olivier Awards.[30] She is a fellow of University of the Arts London,[31] and was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours[32] and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to design.[33] In 2018 she was elected a Royal Designer for Industry for Theatre Design.[34][35] Devlin is the subject of episode three of a Netflix documentary series: Abstract: The Art of Design.[36]

In 2019, Devlin delivered a talk at the TED conference in Vancouver entitled 'Mind-blowing sculptures that fuse art & technology'. It was later selected by TED curator Chris Anderson as one of the best talks of 2019.[37]

Her collaboration with rapper Dave and producer Fraser T. Smith won an Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song 2021.[38] She also collaborated with the artist Yinka Ilori on the design of the Britannia statuettes for the 2021 Brit Awards.[39]

Her work on the 2022 Super Bowl Half Time show featuring Dr Dre, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem won 3 Emmy Awards including best production design while her work on Adele's Griffith Observatory performance also won 5 Emmys at the same ceremony.[40] She received widespread attention and a Tony Award for Best Scenic Design for her work on the Sam Mendes directed play The Lehman Trilogy.

Personal life

Devlin is married to the theatrical costume designer Jack Galloway; they have two children and live in London.[41]

Recognition

She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2013.[42]

References
  1. Nayeri, Farah (1 December 2020). "Es Devlin Takes a Turn at Center Stage". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  2. Acharya, Dipal (6 September 2018). "My London: Es Devlin". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  3. Polianskaya, Alina (11 September 2018). "5 installations to catch at London Design Festival". Design Week.
  4. Staff, Adweek (10 June 2018). "11 Visual Artist Who Enlighten, Inspire and Bring the Impossible to Life". AdWeek.
  5. Barnett, Laura (9 July 2013). "Es Devlin, set and costume designer – portrait of the artist". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  6. O'Hagan, Andrew (28 March 2016). "Imaginary Spaces". The New Yorker. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  7. Sinclair Scott, Fiona (22 September 2018). "The transformative and magical power of Es Devlin's stage design". CNN.
  8. Campos, Guy (4 September 2018). "Carmen on the lake stage prefers projectors to LED". AV Magazine.
  9. Williams, Holly (7 February 2015). "Es Devlin interview: Meet Britain's most astonishingly prolific designer". Independent.
  10. Ryder, Bethan (September 2018). "Smart Set". Wallpaper.
  11. Gibson, Eleanor (7 March 2017). "Es Devlin creates bowl-shaped set as backdrop for virtual reality-themed play". Dezeen.
  12. "Es Devlin OBE to design UK Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai". gov.uk. 27 September 2018.
  13. Poem Pavilion,
  14. Walsh, Niall Patrick (27 September 2018). "Es Devlin to Design the UK'S "Poem Pavilion" for Dubai Expo 2020". ArchDaily.
  15. "Home". www.events.great.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  16. Fulcher, Merlin (27 September 2018). "Set designer Es Devlin picked for UK Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai". Architects' Journal.
  17. Burroughs, Milly (24 September 2018). "The Power of Public Spaces, According to Es Devlin". AnOther.
  18. Degun, Gurjit (1 December 2017). "Beyoncé set designer Es Devlin creates 'singing tree' for V&A". Campaign.
  19. Steven, Rachel (21 September 2016). "Es Devlin creates mirror maze installation in Peckham for Chanel and i-D". creative Review.
  20. Zara, Janelle (9 January 2018). "Beyoncé and Kanye's Stage Designer Is Making Major Waves in the Art World". Architectural Digest.
  21. Knight, Bill (19 May 2018). "Highlights from Photo London 2018 – something old, something new". The Arts Desk.
  22. Buck, Louisa (24 September 2018). "Es Devlin, Carlo Rovelli and the Multi-Story Orchestra light up Peckham". The Art Newspaper.
  23. Glover, Julian (11 September 2018). "Bold Tendencies is bringing opera to a multi-storey car park in Peckham". The Evening Standard.
  24. Morris, Ali (15 September 2017). "Stage light: supercharged set designer Es Devlin on 20 years of triumphs and what's next". Wallpaper.
  25. Rawsthorn, Alice (18 September 2018). "How Visionary Stage Designer Es Devlin Recreated Her Magic In Her London Home". W.
  26. Hass, Nancy (1 October 2015). "Meet the Artist Behind Kanye West's Elaborate Stage Sets". The Hollywood Reporter.
  27. Hall, James (21 July 2016). "Pet Shop Boys' Royal Opera House gig was utterly bonkers – review". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  28. Aspden, Peter (30 May 2014). "Es Devlin's designs for (cultural) life". Financial Times.
  29. Medford, Sarah (2 November 2016). "Es Devlin's Otherworldly Stage Sets". Wall Street Journal.
  30. Fishwick, Samuel (19 September 2016). "Es Devlin on working with Kanye West and Beyonce, and creating her first solo exhibition". The Evening Standard.
  31. McLaughlin, Aimée (6 February 2018). "5 talks to catch at Design Indaba 2018". Design Week.
  32. "No. 61092". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2014. p. N12.
  33. "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N9.
  34. "The Royal Designers for Industry 2018 have been revealed". Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  35. "UAL talents Es Devlin OBE and Ben Terrett elected Royal Designers for Industry". Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  36. "Netflix launches new documentary series Abstract: The Art of Design with a stellar lineup". itsnicethat.com. 19 January 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  37. "Curator's Picks: Top 10 TED Talks of 2019 | TED Talks".
  38. W, Courtney (21 September 2021). "Fraser T Smith, Dave & Es Devlin's "Children Of The Internet" Wins 2021 Ivor Novello For Best Contemporary Song". GRM Daily. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  39. Bertoli, Rosa (28 April 2021). "Brit Awards 2021 winners to receive trophies by Yinka Ilori and Es Devlin". Wallpaper. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  40. "Emmys 2022: Adele and Dr. Dre's Super Bowl Halftime Win Variety Special Awards". Pitchfork. 4 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  41. Rawsthorn, Alice (18 September 2018). "How Beyoncé's Set Designer Created the Same Magic In a London House". W Magazine. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  42. "100 Women: Who took part?". BBC News. 20 October 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
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