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I recently went to the exhibition An Atlas of Es Devlin at the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum in New York. Es Devlin is an English stage designer and artist who is known for her work in theater, opera, concerts, and large public installations. 

As a child, she studied at the Royal Academy of Music and later moved on to English literature at Bristol University. After that, she studied stage design at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).

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She began working in small theaters in 1995. Since then, she has collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, theater, and opera. She has designed stages for the international tours of artists like Beyoncé, U2, and Adele, and has worked on productions at theaters including the Royal Opera House and the National Theatre in London. 

Devlin’s designs are dynamic, sculptural forms. She uses light and video projections to transform spaces and narrative perspectives. Her creative process often starts with marginal notes in texts. These initial sketches and small cardboard models lay the groundwork for her installations. Some of her latest public work focuses on endangered species and languages. Through these, she encourages audiences to rethink their relationships with each other and the environment.

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Her large-scale installations have been displayed in prestigious venues like the Victoria and Albert Museum, Expo 2020 Dubai, the Lincoln Center, the Barbican Center, and the United Nations headquarters. Devlin has also been involved in other major events like the London 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony, the Rio 2016 Olympic Opening Ceremony, and the NFL Super Bowl halftime shows. Her sculptures for these events are monumental in scale, but they still feel personal when you look at them.

Because of her ability to blend art and technology, Devlin has become one of the most influential contemporary designers, and has earned numerous accolades for her work, including three Olivier Awards.

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Until recently, her drawings, paintings, and sculptures were not publicly displayed. For her first comprehensive exhibition, Devlin and the curators examined her 30-year body of work, tracing connections from her early paintings as a teenager through her stage designs to her modern installations. Devlin describes the exhibition as an atlas – a collection of interconnected maps.

What I love about her work is the way she pushes the boundaries of how audiences experience visual and performing arts. I encourage anyone visiting New York to see An Atlas of Es Devlin at the Cooper Hewitt Museum. It’s a stunning and immersive experience that engages the viewer physically, emotionally, and mentally, and blurs the boundaries between the artwork and its audience.