Es Devlin, Cooper Hewitt

An Atlas of Es Devlin: November 18 - August 11, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; An Atlas of Es Devlin is the first monographic museum exhibition dedicated to British artist and stage designer Es Devlin (born 1971), who is renowned for work that transforms audiences. Since beginning in small theaters in 1995, she has charted a course from kinetic stage designs at the National Theatre and the Metropolitan Opera to installations at major institutions, including the World Expo, Lincoln Center, and the United Nations headquarters. Her sculptures for Olympic Ceremonies, NFL Super Bowl halftime shows, and stadium tours for The Weeknd and U2 frame narratives that feel personal at a monumental scale. This exhibition covers thirty years of Devlin's career, spanning from early sketches and notebooks to models of stage sets for London plays and blockbuster pop concerts, models of immersive installations, and an on-the-wall presentation of the 926-page book that is also a work of art in and of itself.

Es's working studio, table, sketches, stacks of magazines, books, & clippings, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Iris installation, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Archive Unboxed installation, Pencil, gouache, and ink drawings for inspiration, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Ink sketches, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

A miniature model of a globe art installation, part of the exhibition "An Atlas of Es Devlin" at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York. The Exhibition Artist: The works are by Es Devlin,

Miley Cyrus is shown performing on her Bangerz Tour, making her entrance by sliding down a giant inflatable tongue that extended from a massive projection of her face. An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Room 2022, an immersive, site-specific installation by British artist and stage designer Es Devlin. An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

The closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, held on August 12, 2012, at the Olympic Stadium. An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Es Devlin is known for her large-scale, performative sculptures and environments that merge light, film projection, and kinetic elements, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Art installation called "Please Feed the Lions" by British artist and designer Es Devlin, which was displayed in Trafalgar Square, London, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Production photo from the play Ugly Lies the Bone by Lindsey Ferrentino, featuring a set designed by Es Devlin. An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Ink sketches, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Archive Unboxed installation, Pencil, gouache, and ink drawings for inspiration, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

The image shows Es Devlin inside the set she designed for the play The Hunt, directed by Rupert Goold, which premiered at London's Almeida Theatre in 2019. Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Model, Atlas. 3D-printed resin and LED, recreated for exhibition. Atlas, by Meredith Monk, staged 2019, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, California, USA. Photo by Es Devlin Studio. Courtesy of Es Devlin.

1.) Studies, Sphere. Mixed media on paper. Staged 2023, U2:UV

2.) Achtung Baby Live at Sphere, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

3.) Photo by Es Devlin Studio. Courtesy of Es Devlin.

1.) "An Atlas of Es Devlin," an installation featuring various sketches,

2.) paintings, and miniature models of set and stage designs by the

3.) British artist Es Devlin.

These white paper sculptures are small-scale models reconstructed from Devlin's archive, demonstrating her artistic process.

Model, Laser-cut MDF, acrylic, 3D-printed resin, and LED, Staged 2022, NFL Super Bowl Halftime, SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, California, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Model, Your Voices, Acrylic, filament, nylon thread, and LED, Installed 2022, Lincoln Center Plaza, New York City, USA, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

An Pencil, gouache, and ink drawings for inspiration, Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Sculptures, Ideas to Forms, Cut paper and board, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Portrait of British stage designer Es Devlin, featuring text projected onto her face

Model for the set design of Harold Pinter's Betrayal, 1998, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Inside the Artist's Studio, Model, 3D-printed resin and LED, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Model, UK PAVILION – DUBAI EXPO 2021, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Set design for the production of Bizet's Carmen in Bergenz, Austria, An Atlas of Es Devlin, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

Model, Please Feed the Lions, 3D-printed resin and LED, Installed 2018, Trafalgar Square, London, UK., An Atlas of Es Devlin, Cooper Hewitt, 2024, Cooper Hewitt, NYC.

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