Es Devlin: The World’s Her Stage. Literally.

Artist Es Devlin creates large-scale public art works and stage sculptures that combine light, music and language. In Devlin’s work, the viewer becomes a participant. She developed her deep understanding of audience engagement thanks to two decades of experience collaborating in theater productions. Her impressive resume also includes Olympic ceremonies (London & Rio), Super Bowl Halftime Shows (Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd), and creating some of the most iconic stage sculptures for artists like Beyoncé for her ongoing ‘Renaissance Tour’, as well as collaborations with renowned names like Lady Gaga, U2, Jay Z, Florence & The Machine, Imogen Heap, Petshop Boys, Miley Cyrus and Billie Eilish.

“I think we need to take audiences seriously,” Devlin says. “If you underestimate an audience’s intelligence, woe betide you… I do think it’s time now for some urgency, to recognise how audiences’ minds can be changed, how perspectives can shift… There’s a tolerance now for directness and a call to action in the work”. Es is very clear about the importance of a proper set or stage design when it comes to shows and live performances; after all, she made a career out of it. When asked during an interview for GQ Magazine why in these digital times we’re living, we’re still excited about going to see a live show or performance, she said: “I think we have an urge in our bodies for ritual. Communal ritual. Live theater, music, are places where we can still feel that”.

Designers and creatives in general find it hard to make their voices and artistic POVs heard when working and collaboration with big brands, but this is not the case for Devlin, who manages to still have artistic control even when it comes to collaborating with international pop stars: “I don’t mind being overborne. Whether it’s an artist who’s considered overbearing or whether it’s a young director who has never done anything before, they’ll have strong feelings. I’m confronted all day long with other people’s ideas… Making work, at the level these people make it, is not something you just do, in any kind of casual way. It’s absolute devotion of your time on Earth”.

What’s great about Devlin’s work is that she can adapt to any venue, from London’s Royal Opera House to the O2 Arena or Wembley Stadium, but her signature style is still present. “I haven’t developed a kind of ‘Es Devlin style’ of work on which hangs my identity,” explains Devlin. “The good thing about 20 years of making very different types of work is that the identity is to be found in the process and the collaboration, the strains of continuity, and thought found in everything”.

One thing that could explain Devlin’s geniusness is that she doesn’t just design something on commission, she needs to be intrigued and inspired by the project, in order for her to invest her time and skillset into it because, as she herself explains, “you only get one life, my work’s always been for me. In my experience it’s about finding common requirements, so I have to find a balance, meaning whoever I’m working with gets what they need but it overlaps with stuff that I’m interested in. If I was ever just serving what someone else asked me to do, it wouldn’t be very good”.

Sources:

esdevlin.com

www.gq-magazine.co.uk

artsandculture.google.com