Es Devlin has spent 20 years investigating and expanding upon the ideas and concepts she finds in some of the most important stagecraft of the last two decades. From small fringe theater in London to the London Olympics, from Wagner to Beyonce and Kanye, Devlin has created dramatic stage design that expands upon the core ideas of each performance regardless of genre.

Devlin has an iterative process of design, never becoming too attached to one thought or one idea. Her design begins with pencil and paper; the ideas coming from an extensive period of research. Those drawings are molded into basic sculptures and then experimented with in physical form. Her designs make use of dramatic light, projected screens and kinetic sculptures.

But as sophisticated and complex as her stage designs are, Devlin recognizes the irony of how impermanent her work is. To this Devlin says, “the thing about what I make is that it doesn't exist for very long. Their endurance is in the memories of people who saw them. I think that's something to be borne in mind as we're creating these structures is that in the end they will only exists as bits of starch in the brain.” 

WSJ. Magazine 2016 Innovator Awards

Curiosity, authenticity, and a deep commitment to the craft. These are some of the defining characteristics of the WSJ. Magazine 2016 Innovators–an outstanding group of individuals recognized for setting new ground in their fields. Seven trailblazing talents, all of whom are featured in the magazine’s November issue, were honored among more than 200 guests for their groundbreaking accomplishments in their respective disciplines on November 2nd at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Selected by WSJ. Magazine editors, the honorees were: Melinda Gates (Philanthropy); Ai Weiwei (Art); Tom Ford (Film); The Weeknd (Music); Daniel Humm and Will Guidara (Food)); Es Devlin (Design) and Snøhetta’s Craig Dykers and Kjetil Thorsen (Architecture).

For the second year in a row, MediaStorm has used its multidisciplinary approach to create films that shine a light on the legacies and innovations of each individual. These films showcase some of MediaStorm’s greatest strengths: an ability to develop a captivating story under tight constraints; combining beautiful cinematography and motion graphics to add unparalleled finesse; and working in close partnership with a client to get results.

These videos have been a critical part of WSJ’s strategy to drive it's audience to its site and to assert itself as the place of significance for the informed citizen.

In keeping with our mission to develop stories that matter, we are thrilled to play a role in recognizing the WSJ. Magazine 2016 Innovators.

Shorter versions of these films premiered at the WSJ. Magazine 2016 Innovator Awards on November 2nd at the Museum of Modern Art. The digital versions premiered on wsj.com and mediastorm.com on November 3 and have been a critical component of helping WSJ drive audeinces to its site.

With five global editions spanning 62 countries, WSJ. Magazine—which publishes 12 issues a year—is The Wall Street Journal's luxury-lifestyle publication dedicated to the power and passions of the Journal's readership.