Popcorn for Dinner, 2026
Popcorn for Dinner is an absurdist, spectacle-driven sewing circle. It examines the relentless spectacle of our current political and social reality, feelings of complacency and the desire for escapism, and tactics to galvanize community work, however messy. The costume features layers of popcorn on popcorn. The cape is a large-scale cyanotype where popcorn is the photographic subject, exposed with the Oregon sun. The center of the cape functions as both a popcorn trough for eating and a storage space for popcorn used in the sewing process. During the performance, community members were invited to sew carnival-style popcorn onto the dress while eating popcorn themselves in front of an audience also consuming popcorn. The cape evokes a clear night sky where one could navigate by the stars; a lunar calendar projecting evermore into the future; an in-progress quilt sewn by many hands; and a social gathering strewn with snacks.
Costume construction: Cal Lawton-Chiappasi
Studio Assistants: Sieren Ureño-Clayton & Jasper Murcia-Finlay
