Performing the costume in scenographies of the body

Designing in the expanded field

Abstract

The purpose of costume in the field of expanded is to overflow the medium that sustains it: the body. This text explores the possibilities of costume outside the boundaries of theatrical language, focusing on three elements: body, space and fabric. Unlike the canonical scene, the expanded scene is not defined or organized as a stable model of creation. This paradigm leads us to reflect on our role as designers, it gives us the opportunity to formulate visual languages, approaches and disciplinary connections with costume8. For this analysis, we start from the premise that: “if it is the body that mobilizes and puts into action the costume, then it is the costume that makes the body visible as space” (Velásquez9, 2010, p. 30 cited by Farías, 2022, p. 31). In “Per-formar el vestuario” I take as a case study the scenographic costumes10 that I designed for the play Somos Arena. Canto de una madre, a textile piece that, for its projection, combines two disciplines: costume and scenography.