London-based Es Devlin first studied English at the University of Bristol, before a foundation in fine art at St Martin’s led her to set design at the Motley Theatre Design Course (now the Genesis Theatre Design Programme). She rose to prominence in the UK designing productions at the Bush Theatre, and the National Theatre. But it was through her witty designs for the closing ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics that many of us first encountered her work on a global stage.

Fast forward 12 years and Devlin’s client list is extraordinary. Amongst others, she’s worked with Adele, Jennifer Lopez, Nitin Sawney, Lorde, Miley Cyrus, Pet Shop Boys, Take That, U2, and The Weeknd. She designed the UK Pavilion at the 2020 World Expo in Dubai (the first pavilion designed by a woman since the expo’s inception in 1851); a miniature version of Compton for the 2022 Superbowl half time show; a set for Bizet’s Carmen, with giant hands rising up out of Lake Constance at Bregenz in Austria; as well as an interactive poetry-generating lion in Trafalgar Square, part of the 2018 London Design Festival.

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