Doja Cat The Scarlet Tour, Set & Stage Pieces

In a project that proved to be a perfect blend of unique creative, challenging fabrication and fun delivery, NEWSUBSTANCE was approached to design and build two central set elements for popular music artist Doja Cat’s US 'Scarlet Tour'.

Collaborating with Silent House Studios and Michael Curry Design, our team successfully realised the artist's vision of a giant puppeteered spider and an oversized eyeball complete with optic LED nerve. Forming the main icon elements of the tour, these pieces captivated audiences and conjured a sense of otherworldly bizarreness that helped to execute the rapper’s creative, unearthly aesthetic.

Measuring 1.8m and weighing 15kg, our gleaming eyeball was beautifully detailed up close, yet clear and dynamic from afar. The expertly painted carbon-kevlar shell was completed with a high-resolution, photorealistic iris print and covered with a blown acrylic lens. The overall effect was a realistic eyeball worn by a stage performer and further brought to life through choreography.

The spider was built around a central aluminium chassis allowing the limbs to be controlled by a performer placed in the centre of the flying body. Its lightweight carbon legs connected to the 3D printed body and head, allowing the performer to create movement from within whilst on stage. With its glowing red eyes and spindly legs, the spider was finished in high gloss custom flip paint which, when illuminated under the stage lights, created an impactful visual as it flew over the crowd.

These pieces became icons of Doja Cat’s tour, and through detailed design, were able to transcend stage boundaries, leaving audiences in awe. This is reflected in the enthusiastic response received on social media and in the press, including notable features from Grammy.com, New York Times and Variety. Social media response included praise and delight from fans as they reacted to the surprising stage pieces, gaining hundreds of thousands of views across TikTok and Instagram.

It was a pleasure to work alongside Silent House Studios, Michael Curry Design and such a fantastic team of creatives, designers, production specialists and tour organisers on this project.