Getting to know or experience British designer and artist Es Devlin’s work is like falling into a (scenic) rabbit hole. The more you learn about her kinetic and rich designs, the more your interest in her scenography and creative acumen grows. I remember seeing Devlin’s episode in Netflix’s Abstract: The Art of Design (2017) and getting completely smitten by her design approach and process. As British opera director Keith Warner mentions in the episode, “Es is somebody who absolutely amazes me.” So when you finally get an opportunity to witness a part of her world in person, the excitement, anticipation and expectations are high. Therefore, when I made my way to the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York for the exhibition An Atlas of Es Devlin, I tried to stay as composed as possible.

The museum is housed in the iconic landmark building of the historic Carnegie Mansion. The first floor of the building is dressed in the classical characteristics of Georgian architecture. However, the third floor is different from the rest of the mansion. A red wall with the exhibition text introduces you to An Atlas of Es Devlin. From here, you enter a small rectangular room, mimicking Devlin’s London Studio. Stationed inside is a long table laden with stationary, books, scripts and videos projected on it. The walls to your sides are dressed in collections of models, scribbles, sketches and pinup boards—the closest one might get to experiencing the creative routine of Devlin, to see and understand where her art originates. When you sit down on the chairs by the table, a video plays where Devlin talks about her artistic philosophies and processes. The storytelling begins here and moves swiftly to the big wall in front.

 […]
Here we can rewrite the rules.
We can decide together right now
that this studio is not really a wall,
But a piece of paper
which we can tear open and
walk through together.

When the doors open, you encounter Iris: a layered installation presenting the names of her collaborators—directors, studio associates, lighting designers, production managers, musicians, video designers, writers and fabricators. From here, I move through a series of long passageways. Here, I am accompanied by models, sketches, drawings and working diagrams of Devlin’s renowned works. From the study drawings and sketches of her stage design for Wire - Flag: Burning (2003) and Richard Wagner’s Parsifal (2012) to the installation design for Five Echoes (2021) and Your Voices (2022), the exhibition has, in its many rooms, a rich directory and record of Devlin’s thought process. These passageways felt like a soft journey, in a linear path. Once you enter this world, there is only one direction and one exit. There seems to be no turning back, I remember thinking to myself. It is a fulfilling experience of walking by seeing, observing, listening and reflecting and more often than not, simply adoring. 

My markings are my map, so I can find my way, pick up my train of thought next time I visit. – Es Devlin

Further ahead, on one wall of the exhibition space are only sketches and paintings by Devlin (now 52). In an overlapping format, this wall is a visual display of her mind. It is crowded, overflowing; an almost perfectly organised chaos; much like that of every artist. “I have spent 30 years translating words into images and spaces—transforming texts on a page into kinetic sculptures that encompass viewers with light and song and use magic to alter their perspective. My craft is to imagine worlds that don’t yet exist, to invite audiences to practice ‘interbeing’ within psychological architectures they have not previously inhabited, to remind viewers that they are not separate but connected to one another and the biosphere,” Devlin conveys. 

The curation and exhibition design of An Atlas of Es Devlin is also a testimony to her diverse work in set design and cinematic spatial narratives. For an artist who translates texts into visuals and visuals into worlds, the exhibition had to translate many worlds into one cohesive story. Curator Andrea Lipps and her team’s approach created a balanced space where there was drama, surprises and fictional worlds that made friends with seemingly simple moments that silently followed the pencil lines in Devlin’s sketchbooks. With a career that began in small theatres in 1995, she crafted her artistic maps over the years through important landmarks and nodes like the World Expo, Lincoln Center, the United Nations Headquarters, Olympic Ceremonies, NFL Super Bowl halftime shows and stadium tours for The Weeknd and U2. In the recent points of her path, she has also adapted her work to address climate and civilisational crises. At An Atlas of Es Devlin, all these important moments of her life come together to map an immersive atlas of her 30-year-long journey.

On my first visit, I made my way through the exhibition in complete awe and amazement. I reached the exit almost in a frenzy and it felt like I hadn’t seen or absorbed enough. I felt compelled to visit again, primarily to experience the first entry. This time I knew the walls would open and I knew exactly when and where I’d end up going. So the emotions weren’t of surprise but of anticipation.

I ended up experiencing An Atlas of Es Devlin for the third and last time, a few weeks ago. This time, I sat down, ruminative, knowing exactly when and how I would encounter the Iris—I knew the wonder that awaited me. I know if I visit the exhibition again, I’ll have new, differing responses, emotional, mental and physical, as tactile and engaging as the worlds she has conjured. This is exactly what I imagine Devlin’s designs have managed to evoke, instil and inspire: Many worlds, many stories, many emotions, one designer. As Cooper Hewit rightly mentions, “She shapes stories in ways that stay with us and reframe our thinking.”

‘An Atlas of Es Devlin’ is on view till August 11, 2024, at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City.