Staged 2017, Bregenz Festival, Lake Constance, Austria

“Bregenz has hosted some of the world’s most breathtaking stage designs—all by men. My design for the opera Carmen was the first by a woman since 1946. Two 22-meter-high hands emerged from the lake, throwing a pack of cards in the air. Suspended between sky and sea, projection made the cards dance during the performances, while concealed steel trusses held them in place through two years of high winds and snowstorms.”

—Es Devlin