Es Devlin

Thank you to all my guests and the audience here at the Lowry in Salford.

Next week on Front Row, Simon Russell-Beal on playing Liberace, stage designer Es Devlin on her new retrospective at the Design Museum, and we'll be announcing the winner of the BBC National Short Story Award.

Until then, from the Contains Strong Language Festival, goodnight.

Taylor.

Es Devlin, who did Gaga's tour, who did, uh, Beyoncé's tour.

Creating these incredible sets and experiences.

So it's visual, it's sonic, it's atmospheric.

On today's program, as London, Paris, and Zurich design weeks get underway, we'll discuss who does it best and what we're looking forward to.

Then we're off to Venice for this year's edition of Homo Faber, where our correspondents speak to the curator Es Devlin about the future of contemporary craft.

All that coming up on Monocle on Design.

Grace Charlton, Monocle's associate editor of design and fashion, for how much longer we don't know, but you have been diving into the fashion cupboard seemingly every episode.

[upbeat music] For the month of September at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice, the celebration of contemporary craftsmanship verges on the evangelical.

Meaning man the maker in Latin, this year's Homo Faber features 500 artisans from around the world, showcasing their 700 handcrafted pieces to a cult following.

This year's artistic director is British contemporary artist and designer Es Devlin.

Titled An Island of Light, her theatrical journey begins with an invitation to visitors to enter the sanctuary of an artist's studio.

Did you see any exhibitions, or?

I went to see the Es Devlin Home of Faber-

Mm

... which was pretty spectacular, The Island of Light.

As you were entering, uh, the exhibit, there were pictures of every single craftsperson, and there were some of the craftspeople at work as part of the exhibit.

It was quite spectacular.

Um, Es Devlin, who's famous for, I mean, so many things-

Mm-hmm

And as you look through the sketches, suddenly the room goes dark.

And as Devlin's cinematic film, which focuses on hands, beautifully lit hands, making, drawing, creating.

And this is her poem.

This is her poem that sets up her stall and she hopes will give voice to the 500 artisans and their 700 objet that she has pulled together for the 2026 Homo Faber Awards.

You know, you do feel the spaces as kind of a very hallowed space.

A

quick question on, finally, on the... what this does for the artisans, because it's great to have that kind of showcase and it's great to have Es Devlin shine her, literally shine her light on you.

But how does this then go and translate to the ability of these people who've come from all over the world to actually make a bigger success of things?

Dear friends, welcome to this very, very special recording of the podcast, The Way Out Is In.

My name is Es Devlin.

I'm an artist who has only in the past few years discovered Plum Village, and I feel very honored to make a short introduction to this evening's podcast.

The title of this podcast is You Are Already the Person You Wish to Become.

It's sort of promising.

One is about Es Devlin.

We know about her.

One is sort of, is it about technology? I think there's a sort of an immersive technology.

And as you look through the sketches, suddenly the room goes dark.

and Es Devlin's cinematic film, which focuses on hands, beautifully lit hands, making, drawing, creating.

And this is her poem.

This is her poem that sets up her stall and she hopes will give voice to the 500 artisans and their 700 objets that she has pulled together for the 2026 Homer Faber.

A

quick question on on finally on the the the.

what this does for the artisans, because it's great to have that kind of showcase and it's great to have Es Devlin shine her, literally shine her light on you.

But how does this then go and translate to the ability of these people who've come from all over the world to actually make a bigger success of things?

But it's still a diplomacy, believe it or not.

And then there's myself, a woman called Es Devlin, who's the greatest stage designer in the world.

She's really interesting.

Rick Lipson and Willie Williams, who's sort of the show director.