The historic island of San Giorgio Maggiore is about to glow anew. The fourth edition of the Homo Faber Biennial arrives under the visionary direction of British artist and designer Es Devlin. Titled ‘An Island of Light,’ the 2026 programme promises fifteen immersive installations that use illumination not merely as spectacle but as a narrative thread that binds material, maker, and visitor.
The City of Canals, the thousand-year-old Benedictine monastery on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, and the lagoon enchant us every time we visit. The colors and reflections tell stories day and night on every corner.
Light will be the 2026 biennial’s central motif. Rather than a decorative backdrop, illumination becomes a conceptual bridge linking the centuries‑old Palladian architecture of San Giorgio Maggiore with the contemporary practices of hundreds of artisans.
Es Devlin, Artistic Director of Homo Faber 2026
The English artist and stage designer Esmeralda Devlin has been named Artistic Director of the Homo Faber 2026. Born in 1971, Es Devlin has built a reputation for turning performance spaces into kinetic, participatory environments. She has worked on stage and set design for major music tours and events, such as Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball Tour (2009-2010) to Beyoncé’s Homecoming (2019) and the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show headlined by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige. During her studies, she specialized on theater design. She envisioned many award winning theater play sets in London’s West End and New York’s Broadway. Last year, she created outdoor libraries in Milan’s Pinacoteca di Brera at the Courtyard of Honor entitled ‘Library of Light’, then on Miami’s Faena Beach, the ’Library of US’. Delvin has also designed the scenic elements for the 2012 London Olympics’ closing ceremony and the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Across these projects Devlin consistently explores how light can shape perception, invite collective participation, and turn architecture itself into a performative canvas. It is precisely this sensibility that now informs Homo Faber 2026.
‘An Island of Light’
By staging fifteen site-specific installations, Devlin’s studio will devise a series of kinetic, light‑driven works that frame the output of ceramicists, glassblowers, stone carvers, woodturners, weavers, metalworkers, and more. Each piece is designed to spotlight the materiality of the craft while casting shadows that hint at the hidden labor behind the finished object.
Artisans will work on‑site, allowing visitors to watch the transformation of raw material into finished form under the ever‑changing play of light. This mirrors Devlin’s own practice of integrating performers into her installations, turning the act of creation into a shared performance.
A new cohort of Young Ambassadors, ninety design‑students from around the globe will serve as narrators, guiding audiences through the interplay of light, technique, and cultural story‑telling. Their presence reinforces the biennial’s educational thrust.
San Giorgio Maggiore’s baroque façades and open courtyards provide a dramatic canvas. Devlin’s history of re‑imagining existing structures (eg. her 2012 London Olympics closing ceremony, or the ‘Library of Light’ at Milan’s Pinacoteca di Brera) hints at a respectful yet bold reinterpretation of the island’s space.
The application for the Young Ambassador Programme is open until 1 March 2026.
The application for the eight-month sponsored Fellowship craft training programme is open until 1 February 2026.
Source: press release. Photo credits: Loupiosity.com.
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