In the hallowed halls of theatrical design, few names command the reverence that Es Devlin does. As her career-defining retrospective opens at London’s Design Museum, the architect of everything from Beyoncé’s Grammy performances to the London 2012 Olympics finale reveals the philosophy behind her relentless creative output.
The exhibition, titled “Es Devlin: Other Worlds,” chronicles three decades of boundary-pushing work that spans opera houses, arenas, and art galleries across the globe. It’s a testament to an artist who refuses to be pinned down by discipline, embracing instead the label of ‘everythingist’ that she discovered mirrors her own approach to creation.
A Career Built on Boundless Curiosity
Devlin’s ascent began with a modest achievement: winning the Linbury Prize for Stage Design in 1995. Yet from that point forward, the British designer has become the go-to creative force for some of the most ambitious projects on the planet. Her portfolio reads like a roll-call of cultural giants—Trevor Nunn at the National Theatre, Kendrick Lamar at the Grammy Awards, and the Ballets Russes themselves.
The recognition has come in spades: multiple Olivier, Tony, and Emmy awards, a CBE and OBE for services to design, and honorary doctorates from institutions worldwide. But perhaps most significantly, she’s been courted by contemporary art curators and even theoretical physicists, drawn by her unique ability to fuse intricate handicraft with arena-level spectacle.
“I think I was insufficiently intimidated early on,” Devlin reflects, her voice carrying the confidence of someone who’s consistently punched above her weight class. “There was a lot I wanted to express.”
The Studio as Sanctuary
Step into Devlin’s south London studio, and you’re transported into a universe where imagination knows no bounds. Two floor-to-ceiling mirror doors separate her creative workspace from a light-filled living area where ginger cats lounge among giant turned-wood vessels and sculpted maquettes.
The right hand of her 25-metre-tall Carmen set for Bregenz Festspiele stands guard by the sofas—a reminder of her ability to conceive works that tower over human scale. The left hand perches in the front studio room, surrounded by a sea of materials and works-in-progress, each piece telling a story of transformation from concept to monumental reality.
“I’ve been like this since I was very young,” she says, adjusting her coral-red Crocs. “When I was at school, the teachers used to say: ‘You’re a jack of all trades and master of none.’ And it’s only recently that I learned that phrase actually has another couplet: ‘But oftentimes better than a master of one.'”
This philosophy—depth through breadth—has guided her approach to every project, whether it’s a theatre set, a pop video, or a public installation.
Portraits of Power and People
What emerges from the retrospective is perhaps Devlin’s most profound insight: everything she creates is simultaneously a portrait of her collaborator and a self-portrait. This duality explains why artists as diverse as Rosalía, Olivia Rodrigo, and Max Richter seek her out.
Consider her UNHCR installation “Congregation” (2024), which featured portraits of 50 refugees, or “A National Portrait” for London’s National Portrait Gallery, inviting 55 million adults to participate. These projects reveal the human core beneath her spectacular surfaces.
“What I’ve observed about powerful people is, it’s unfortunate, but a bit like barnacles on a great whale, there are peripheral structures that accumulate around power and fame,” she explains. “And to the powerful person and the famous person, those structures are really uninteresting.”
Devlin, by contrast, looms like an octopus—tentacles in every direction, drawing the world in an indelible ink that is uniquely hers alone.
From Childhood Imagination to International Acclaim
Born in Kingston upon Thames in 1971, Devlin’s creative instincts were evident from the earliest moments. Her journalist father and teacher mother—both artists in their own right—instilled in her the understanding that creativity wasn’t optional but essential.
Christmas and birthday traditions emphasized making over buying, while her parents encouraged her elaborate schemes and inventive games. Tuesday nights became a mad rush to return library books buried under “elaborate run for the gerbils” contraptions.
The theatricality of her childhood hometown of Rye, East Sussex, left an indelible mark. The son et lumière Rye Town Model—with its houses lighting up as they spoke—captivated her imagination. “A building that I lived in was small enough for me to hold. I could look down on my house and think: ‘Oh, I can pick it up.’ But also, I would go next door and I’d be in my house and my house would be holding me.”
This early fascination with architecture and narrative would later manifest in her monumental-scale works that continue to explore the relationship between space, story, and human experience.
Today, as Devlin prepares for the Design Museum exhibition, she’s also directing the 2026 British Museum Ball, designing Olivia Rodrigo’s forthcoming arena tour, and working on yet another project for the prestigious Salone del Mobile in Milan. When asked about her capacity for such prolific output, she gestures toward the tree above her garden.
“I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing today if I hadn’t done what I did yesterday. It’s an accumulation. It’s a tree that’s growing. The most important thing is to keep feeding the trunk of it—to be alone in the studio.”
“Es Devlin: Other Worlds” runs at the Design Museum in London from 2 October to 4 April, offering visitors a rare glimpse into the mind of one of Britain’s most celebrated creative forces.
Why it Matters
Devlin’s work represents more than aesthetic achievement—it embodies a democratic approach to large-scale design that centres human experience over spectacle for its own sake. In an era where cultural institutions grapple with relevance and engagement, her ability to make audiences active participants rather than passive observers offers a compelling model for how art can reflect and celebrate collective humanity. Her ‘everythingist’ philosophy challenges the siloed thinking that often characterises contemporary creative industries, suggesting that true innovation emerges from the spaces between disciplines rather than within them.
