Delphine Desnus

As head costume designer at the Théâtre Molière Sorbonne, Delphine Desnus brings characters to life through fabrics, movements and techniques handed down from the past. As part of the Molière Ex Machina project, she has discovered what artificial intelligence can bring to stage design.
 

Delphine Desnus’ journey with theatre began early, at around the age of ten. She took to the stage, acted, and discovered scripts and the world of stage performance. Theatre soon took up all of her free time. At the same time, she became interested in arts and crafts, although she did not make the connection between the two activities. It was later, as her journey unfolded, that the turning point came. “On stage, I felt something was missing,” she confides. The tangible connection to materials, to movement, to the craft of making things.

So, when she was offered the chance to design costumes, it was an instant revelation. “The substance I couldn’t find on stage, I had right there,” she says simply. Costume design became another form of theatrical presence, just like acting, but expressed through fabrics, volumes and textures. Like actors, costume designers build characters: “When designing a costume, you need to take the time to understand the character in all of their dimensions, both physical and emotional.”

Delphine Desnus quickly learnt the ropes hands-on, working in ateliers and on productions. She rounded off her training with a degree in art history and a vocational diploma in dressmaking. Everything else she learnt through experience, with each project and collaboration.
 

A significant part of her work is devoted to historically informed costume, particularly 17th century theatre. Creativity here is not understood in the usual sense. “There’s no need for inventiveness,” she explains. “What’s really interesting is retracing history through the techniques, tastes and craftsmanship of the period.”

Such work requires meticulous research. Some materials no longer exist, and certain techniques are no longer used. To find solutions, you have to scour the markets, hunt for rare finds, tap into specialist networks, and sometimes recreate by hand what cannot be found. Braids can be replicated, and certain embroidery patterns reproduced using techniques still practised today, preserved as part of our intangible cultural heritage. Other aspects remain hypothetical, due to a lack of sufficient sources.

For L’Astrologue ou Les Faux Présages as part of the Molière Ex Machina project, Delphine Desnus has embarked on a unique venture: working from sketches generated by artificial intelligence. She explains: ‘I was first told about this project just over two years ago. Georges Forestier [a specialist in 17th century theatre and founder of the Théâtre Molière Sorbonne, deceased in 2024] was so enthusiastic that I thought to myself, ‘why not?’” She has embraced the experiment as a research project in its own right, keeping pace with the times. Although, she points out, “it won’t fundamentally change the way I work”.

In practical terms, the AI generates a large number of costume proposals. An initial selection is made, after which Delphine Desnus steps in to assess their historical plausibility, particularly with regard to materials and embellishments. The AI helps to generate ideas and open up possibilities, but the final approval remains a human process, grounded in a detailed knowledge of the 17th century.

For the costume of the astrologer, the play’s main character, the chosen design proved convincing. She decided to treat it as she would have one of Henri Gissey’s designs – a renowned costume designer of the period – by studying the fabrics, perfecting the technical details and producing it in the workshop. In other cases, some proposals were rejected due to a lack of sufficient historical references. The project fully embraces this educational dimension, which involves choices, compromises and numerous discussions.
 

Feeding the AI with precise information requires us to articulate what is usually a matter of intuition or habit. “Describing in words what I do when I draw is complicated,” admits Delphine Desnus. The process requires an analysis of the stages of creation.

This process of “taking a step back” is particularly noticeable when it comes to emotions. Choosing a colour, a line or a texture is often a matter of instinct. With AI, everything must be articulated, justified and dissected. It is a demanding exercise, sometimes a frustrating one, but intellectually stimulating. “It allows you to look at the creative process in general from a distance,” she observes.
Today [at the time of writing, the performances have not yet taken place], the workshop is in full swing. A team of seven people is hard at work creating around ten costumes, at a pace that will pick up as the premiere approaches. Embroidery, pattern-making, assembly… Each stage requires time, precision and collective focus. Some of the embroideries, including a map of the sky, constellations and astrological signs - inspired by a motif found at the Bibliothèque nationale de France  - have taken several weeks to complete.

With the Molière Ex Machina project, Delphine Desnus is exploring uncharted territory, whilst never losing sight of the essential: serving the best interests of theatre, scripts and performers through accurate design and craft.