David Debrinay began his career as a lighting designer at the age of 22, following work as an assistant lighting designer while studying History at the University of Lyon.
Over the years, he has primarily designed lighting for theatre and opera, collaborating with artists such as Lucinda Childs, Richard Brunel, Max-Emmanuel Cencic, Jakob Peter-Messer, Jean-Louis Benoit, Nicola Raab, Laurent Brethome, Jean Lacornerie, Johanny Bert, Simon Delétang, Jean-Claude Berutti, and Laurent Fréchuret.
He has also worked extensively in dance, notably with Lucinda Childs, Jonah Bokaer, Alejandro Cerrudo, Davy Brun, and Yan Raballand. In addition, he has explored contemporary circus through collaborations with Olivier Antoine, Cirque Hirsute, and the equestrian circus company Plume de Cheval.
His productions have taken him to major venues across France and Europe, including Opéra de Lyon, Opéra national du Rhin, Wiesbaden Opera, Opéra Royal de Versailles, Comédie-Française, Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, Théâtre National de Chaillot, the Aix-en-Provence Festival, Megaron Mousikis in Athens, the Roman Theatre of Plovdiv, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Dommelhof in Neerpelt, and Schaerbeek Hall in Brussels.
Since 2018, he has also been active in the luxury sector, designing lighting for international events, high-jewellery exhibitions, and fashion shows, collaborating with brands and companies such as Hermès, Chanel, K2, La Mode en Images, Golden Mama, Nazar, Studio BK, and WB Immersive.
In 2025, he founded Close Your Eyes, a lighting design agency, where he serves as Creative Director.
David Debrinay is a board member of the Lighting Designer Union and teaches theatrical lighting design at the INSA engineering school in Lyon.