The Balloon Estate is an extension of the performer’s plight - the struggle to captivate and maintain an audience. If there is no audience, there is no performance, it merely becomes a rehearsal. A continuous stream of open-mic performances is responsible for the atmosphere and soundtracks a light show created by video synthesis, using the audio from the microphones as an input. The idea of parametric architecture is explored in real time, where people become the parameters for form, only natural for an architecture solely focused on those inhabiting the space. As such, simple parameters are responsible for generating a complex series of outcomes - outcomes that create a microcosm of society within and around the site. When in operation and accepting an audience, the balloons present a dynamic, kinetic sculptural quality that acts not only as a beacon but as a manifestation of the performance and inhabitants below. If the estate is unable to accommodate any more residents, the balloon lattice instead becomes more subtle, shifting the focus to the performance below. If nobody is occupying the space, then the balloons return to their place of origin, reducing the architecture’s impact on the skyline, creating a borderline invisible building. Just like how silence is the absence of activity, the architecture’s lack of visible presence too becomes a representation of the activity below.

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