Performative Design

The dynamic nature of performance based environments means there is almost endless ways that people can interact. However, there are a few distinct types of performative spaces:


ACTIVITY-BASED


These environments are designed around a specific activity, which may involve one person or a whole community. They may be installations, only existing for the duration of a few hours, or structures that last for years. The Open Burble Project in Singapore is an excellent example of activity based performance. 

Commissioned by the Singapore Biennale, members of the public come together to compose, assemble and control an immense rippling, glowing, bustling 'Burble' that sways in the evening sky, in response to the crowd interacting below. This massive structure, the form of which the public has themselves designed, exists at such a large scale that it is able to compete visually in an urban context with the skyscrapers that surround it. 

Just as the participants are the composers of the Burble's tall form, so too are they the ones to control it. They hold on to it using handles with which they may position the Burble as they like. They may curve in on themselves, or pull it in a straight line - the form is a combination of the crowd's desires and the impact of wind currents varying throughout the height of the Burble.

USER-BASED


User-Based spaces are functional spaces, in which the user designates the function of the environment. This could be achieved through modular forms which have a variety of uses, a multi-function space which is used by different groups for different activites, or any of a thousand different environments.


A perfect example of this kind of space is a park, which is all at once a sporting field, a reading area, a place to eat, an exercise route, and an incredible amount of other things. 


TIME-BASED


These Spaces may have dynamic qualities based on the time of day that they are being used. A notable example that I have personally experienced is the Vietnamese street.

These streets come alive at night, full of activity as vendors and customers alike bring their chairs and stalls out onto the pavement and even road itself, enjoying the food, drink and interaction with one another. However, during the day the street is very busy,being used mostly for commuting purposes.


The development of these kind of spaces is integral to our design proposal for the Howard Smith Wharves site, and we may draw influence and inspiration from a myriad of projects. Once we have determined the necessary functions for the site,  we may decide on a specific type of performative environment to create, in order to best serve the community, to inspire and entertain.