Music

Lorde’s Set Designer Isn’t Backing Her Claims That Kanye West Stole Her Floating Box

"The idea of a floating glass box of course is not in any way new."

by Mitch Feltscheer  14 November 2018

Want more Junkee in your life? Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram and Facebook so you always know where to find us.

Yesterday, Lorde took to her Instagram to call out Kanye West and Kid Cudi for allegedly nicking her idea for a floating stage box, but now the set designer that worked on Lorde’s Melodrama tour has entered the fray to help clear things up.

Lorde originally accused Kanye and Cudi’s project Kids See Ghosts for purposefully stealing the idea of a suspended “fishtank” for their debut show in LA over the weekend — but Es Devlin, who designed that very set, seems to think otherwise.

In a series of Instagram posts Devlin shared images from a 2007 production of the opera Carmen in London, showing another very similar floating box construct.

In one of the posts, Devlin notes that it’s kinda hard for Kanye and Cudi to steal a simple concept like a suspended platform, as “The idea of a floating glass box of course is not in any way new and the geometry precedes all of us.”

She continues: “I did not design the recent Kids See Ghosts performance: I worked with Lorde on the design for her Coachella performance: I admire both and see no imitation at work here.

“I think the more interesting point is that both artists, responding to our dis-jointed times, are being drawn to this gesture of the fragile floating room.”

View this post on Instagram

CARMEN by Georges Bizet , English National Opera 2007. . In Act 3 of Carmen, Jose decides to leave the rules and formal certainty of the army in search of liberation: The quest means un-mooring oneself from the known and risking anarchy, chaos, loss of identity. The idea of a floating glass box of course is not in any way new and the geometry precedes all of us. The form finds another layer of resonance in each new context. I did not design the recent Kids See Ghosts performance: I worked with Lorde on the design for her Coachella performance : I admire both and see no imitation at work here: I think the more interesting point is that both artists, responding to our dis-jointed times, are being drawn to this gesture of the fragile floating room: the world un-moored from gravity : where the rules of civilisation and identity as we have known them may soon no longer apply.

A post shared by Es Devlin (@esdevlin) on

Devlin’s take on the debacle seems to sync up with a lot of other reactions to Lorde’s initial call-out, with many pointing out Justin Bieber performed in a see-through floating platform on his 2016 Purpose Tour as well as Kendrick Lamar who more recently used a clear box at the Brit Awards in February this year.

As much as it pains me to say this about our sweet angel princess from across the ditch, I think Lorde may have overstepped her bounds on this one.