the flayed circus
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 001                                    Haringey stands at a crossroads of great change. With its rich industrial heritage and local ecology boasting the largest urban wetlands in Europe, the borough is poised for a spectacle to bring the community together. Waste from Beavertown Brewery and the disused canal is reformed and metabolised by a culture of kombucha bacteria and yeast, transforming it into a cellulose mat. This alien-like, fleshy material, once dried becomes a golden translucent leather. The local Jackson’s Lane Circus in Highgate is the user, providing a two-year temporary facility for practice and performance within the industrial zone.

 002                                   
The building will be constructed from the Kombucha SCOBY

 003                                    Over time, the metal scaffolding becomes more and more concealed by the growing bacterial film. It is slowly transformed into a golden lantern, set against the River Lea. The dried skin houses contemporary circus performance, a way of celebrating both the fleshy material of kombucha, the dynamism of the human body and how it moves within the space. At night, a harsh spotlight projects the shadows of the performers onto the flesh of the occluded building.

 004                                    The site is a rich source of nutrients for the building to grow. Waste comes from the Beavertown Brewery, water from the disused canal both combining to cultivate Kombucha

 005                                   Models made from curved wire and spandex created an organic moving structure on 'piloti'. The structure inside would be divided into primary, secondary and tertiary structure, to allow for structural stability.

 006                                  Latex testing models were created to test the ability of the translucent material of the bioleather. Here the idea of creating a structure that is fully translucent, and glows in the landscape begins to appear.

 007                                  The building is divided into four floors, the ground floor is concerned with the circulation of the machinery and people to the spiral staircases up the building. The first floor shows the stage and the back of house of the stage and the beginning of the tiered seating. The final floor shows the top of the seating and the costume store and AV department. The final scheme shows how the material drapes around the building.