Designing the costumes for Marisol Soledad’s play O Tomato presented an opportunity to explore the intersection of performance, community engagement, and sculpture. The production, staged outdoors in a public park over the course of a month, invited audience participation and was created specifically for children.
O Tomato offered a chance to revisit a question that has lingered in my studio practice for several years: Do costumes require performance to become part of sculptural work, or can they exist independently as sculptural forms? This project became a living inquiry into that idea.
Special Thanks to Marisol Soledad, Livia Chesley, Vyette Tiya
O, TOMATO!
Sensitive and hardy, resilient and particular, the tomato is a gift of nature, a sensory pleasure, a culinary staple transcending regions, languages, cuisines, and cultures. In complex, challenging times, we come together to joyfully celebrate the story and the beauty of this much beloved, often misidentified fruit.
O, TOMATO! is the latest offering from The Exuberance, Marisol Soledad's burgeoning platform for creating art-based opportunities for intergenerational play and connection in public space.
A recognition of the tomato in all of its sizes, colors, and shapes, and a celebration of the urban gardeners, farmers, chefs, and bakers who give this special plant its ubiquitous and versatile life, O, TOMATO! is a sensory dance theater bash full of participatory play, inviting family audiences to sing, dance, laugh, squish, splat, slice, and savor in community.
O, TOMATO! will premiere this fall in the 2024 Philadelphia Fringe Festival as part of the Cannonball Hub, and a member of Cannonball's curated Performance for Young Audiences cohort. The show will be offered free of charge to all audiences.