RAPHAÉ MEMON IS AN AWARD-WINNING DESIGNER AND ARCHITECT, WORKING ON A RANGE OF PROJECTS BETWEEN ARCHITECTURE, INTERIORS, EXHIBITIONS, STAGE DESIGN AND SCENOGRAPHY.

RAPHAÉ IS CURRENTLY ASSOCIATE DESIGNER FOR ARTIST AND DESIGNER PATRICK KINMONTH.

biography

Raphaé studied Architecture from The Bartlett UCL and Manchester School of Architecture. His projects explored the development of architectural space from the lens of a stage designer, and vice versa. Architects have historically explored the creation of scenic space, from the scale of a set for theatre to a public square or city. Raphaé’s work often explores how the discipline of scenography could be applied to architectural space.

As a designer, Raphaé has created artwork for productions at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, worked for the London Design Festival at the V&A, assisted in the design of opera productions with winners of the Linbury Prize for Stage Design, and has worked on exhibition installation, studio archiving and design research with artist Es Devlin. Theatre experience includes: set and costume design, prop-making, set build, scenic painting, costume supervision, and stage management.

Raphaé is a qualified British Architect (ARB). His architectural experience within multidisciplinary teams includes Buckley Gray Yeoman, Nissen Richards Studio, BDP, Herzog & de Meuron and Arup. Projects have ranged in scale and sector, from interior design to exhibitions and buildings.

awards / exhibitions / teaching

Treemonisha, performed at 2019’s Grimborn Opera Festival in London was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in a New Opera Production in the Broadway World UK Awards. Raphaé was the set and costume designer.

Raphaé’s stage design for opera Polyeucte at Theatre Royal Stratford East London won the award for Best Design in the Arts Colours Awards in Cafe de Paris, London. The design was also represented in the exhibition Staging Places - UK Design for Performance 2015-2019 at the Prague Quadrennial and at the V&A.

Raphaé is the recipient of several design awards, has presented and displayed projects in conferences and exhibitions, and was nominated for the prestigious RIBA President’s Bronze Medal. He has taught at The Bartlett Summer School and been an invited critic for programmes at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, The Bartlett and Westminster Schools of Architecture.

design projects

2023 — Opera: Carmen — St Paul’s Clapham, London

2023 — Installation: TIME — Gaggenau + London Festival of Architecture

2022 — Dance: Noise Interactive — BBC Arts

2021 — Opera: The Medium — RNCM, Manchester

2021 — Opera: Ariadne auf Naxos — RNCM, Manchester

2020 — Dance: Noise — Ugly Duck, London

2019 — Opera: La Cenerentola — Peacock Theatre, London

2019 — Opera: Scoring a Century — Peacock Theatre, London

2019 — Opera: Treemonisha — Arcola Theatre, London

2019 — Fashion: Haunted Reminiscence — Teeth Magazine Editorial

2018 — Opera: Isolde — Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford

2018 — Fashion: Eponine — Lookbook Shoot

2018 — Opera: Polyeucte — Theatre Royal Stratford East, London

2014 — Musical: Sweeney Todd — UoM, Manchester

press

— Raphaé is a talented designer who I have worked with across a number of projects of different scales and scopes. He approaches his work with great integrity and diligence and is always a much trusted and respected member of the team — SIMON SLADEN, Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Performance, Victoria and Albert Museum.

See individual project pages for coverage from The Guardian, The Telegraph, Opera Today, The Stage, Opera Magazine, BroadwayWorld, and Operissima.

collaborations and associations

Patrick Kinmonth | Victoria and Albert Museum | Es Devlin | London Festival of Architecture | London Design Festival | Prague Quadrennial | National Theatre | Royal Northern College of Music | Teeth Magazine | Jo Fetto | Ashish Gupta | British Youth Opera | Grimeborn Opera Festival | Edinburgh Festival Fringe | UCOpera | The Bartlett UCL | STORE Projects | Society of British Theatre Designers | Royal Institute of British Architects

contact + enquiries

studio@raphaememon.com