Aarni Tujula - Tomato6

Tomato6 is a speculative design project exploring material experimentation and sustainability through the lens of tomato cultivation and its overlooked byproducts. Developed as part of the CHEMARTS course at Aalto University, the project examines what society chooses to value—and what it discards.

Focusing on the side streams of industrial tomato production, the project team investigated the plant biomass and associated waste materials, such as plastic support rings and wires, typically left unused or non-compostable due to scale. These "waste" materials were reinterpreted not as refuse, but as raw material with new potential.

Originally conceived as a boat for humans, the design evolved into a "sacred floating pedestal for nature"—a symbolic vessel constructed entirely from tomato plant residues. The base consists of 90 tomato stems, connected by reclaimed support wire. A net of plastic rings forms the upper structure, highlighting how even small, utilitarian components carry meaning when context is shifted.

Atop the structure, a single tomato is placed—serving as a striking symbol of how much effort, material, and energy go into producing a fruit that is often the only part considered valuable. The project calls into question our perception of waste, utility, and value in agricultural systems.

Collaborators:
Xinquan Wen, Aarni Tujula, and Luis Alfonso Monje
(CHEMARTS, Aalto University)

Photo credits: Luis Alfonso Monje