Model, La Caja Mágica / The Seed

Staged 2010, MTV Europe Music Awards, La Caja Mágica Stadium, Madrid, Spain, and 2020, Jubail Mangrove Park, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

“For the MTV Europe Music Awards, I imagined a 10-meter-high revolving box that could reveal a shapeshifting series of performances. Rihanna sang within a sea of red carnations pouring out of an iris. I later revisited the revolving magic box as a piece for the Serpentine Galleries in 2016 and then, in 2020, as a 15-meter illuminated sculpture called The Seed on the waters of the Persian Gulf.”

—Es Devlin

Black-and-white drawing of four squares lined next to each other. From left to right, one square has a black dot in the center, the next a black vertical line, the next a rose-like shape, and the last has several small circles forming a larger one. Below the drawing are several lines of handwritten text.
Es Devlin, Study, The Seed, Graphite on paper.
Staged 2020, Jubail Mangrove Park, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Courtesy of Es Devlin
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Large teal circle, positioned vertically, made of several layered cutouts, centers a dark room. Two people are shown, one in the center of the circle with open arms and the other sitting at the base of the circle above several stairs.
Production photograph, La Caja Mágica
Staged 2010, MTV Europe Music Awards, La Caja Mágica Arena, Madrid, Spain
Courtesy of Es Devlin
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Large white cube, with different cutout designs on each side, is pictured outdoors on a smooth circular surface. The cube emits light and the floor has several other white lights. The background is a cityscape by the water at sunset.
Production photograph, The Seed
Staged 2020, Jubail Mangrove Park, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Courtesy of Es Devlin
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Cubic white model with a large circle in the center of one side made of layered cutouts. A tiny figure stands on one of the layers. White light glows from within the cube.
Es Devlin, Model, La Caja Mágica / The Seed, Paint on laser-cut MDF, acrylic, and LED, recreated for exhibition.
Staged 2010, MTV Europe Music Awards, La Caja Mágica Arena, Madrid, Spain, and 2020, Jubail Mangrove Park, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Photo: Elliot Goldstein © Smithsonian Institution
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Cubic white model with white light glowing from within. Two sides are shown: the left one has a tiny figure standing on a small oval cutout in the center and the right has a tiny figure standing on a small rectangle cutout in the bottom right corner.
Es Devlin, Model, La Caja Mágica / The Seed, Paint on laser-cut MDF, acrylic, and LED, recreated for exhibition.
Staged 2010, MTV Europe Music Awards, La Caja Mágica Arena, Madrid, Spain, and 2020, Jubail Mangrove Park, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Photo: Elliot Goldstein © Smithsonian Institution
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A drawing and photograph side by side depicting the same subject: a black-and-white cube with a maze design on one side and layered circle elements on another side, the internal overlaps and structures creating shadows.
Es Devlin, Studies, La Caja Mágica
Staged 2010, MTV Europe Music Awards, La Caja Mágica Arena, Madrid, Spain
Courtesy of Es Devlin
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Black-and-white drawing of two 3D forms; one is a polygonal shape and the other is a cube. Both feature line designs on at least one side.
Es Devlin, Study, La Caja Mágica, Graphite on paper.
Staged 2010, MTV Europe Music Awards, La Caja Mágica Arena, Madrid, Spain
Courtesy of Es Devlin
Read More