Study, Don Giovanni

Staged 2006, Theater an der Wien, Vienna, Austria

“Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni explores the conflict between stability and chaos. Director Keith Warner and I translated Don Giovanni’s list of 1,003 lovers into a labyrinthine, neural network. My assistant Bronia and I stayed up for hours building this model—we didn’t use computer modeling at the time. It’s one of the oldest models in the archive. In the end, the labyrinth evolved into a series of simple hinged hotel corridors.”

—Es Devlin

Panoramic view of two white triangular hallways in a darker space. White doorways and lights decorate the walls. Two people lean against the corner separating both hallways.
Production photograph, Don Giovanni
By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, staged 2006, Theater an der Wien, Vienna, Austria
Courtesy of Es Devlin
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A clear case housing three different models; from left to right: a rectilinear maze in a yellow square, a circular maze within a rectangular form, and a form with even smaller rectangles layered together.
Es Devlin, Studies, Don Giovanni and PoemPortraits
Photo: Elliot Goldstein © Smithsonian Institution
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Top view of a rectilinear model of a maze with a square of space in the middle; there is some green discoloration towards the bottom half of the model.
Es Devlin, Study model, Don Giovanni, Cardstock and acrylic.
By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, staged 2006, Theater an der Wien, Vienna, Austria
Courtesy of Es Devlin
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