3.4 The characters

3.4.1 The thrill seeker - James

The study makes use of a number of occupational types in order to develop the characters. Thus, the characters will develop the architecture, concurrently, the architecture will develop the characters.

The world is in a strange time where strange things are happening. These are times of ever-expanding and fast-moving waves of change. Accounting for the fast-changing reality is considered hard work, but attempting to escape this occurrence is a lot harder. The study is exploring how South Africans can begin to account for the new reality we are faced with. The majority of contemporary subjects are familiar with metamorphosis, mutations, transformations and the process of change. During this fast-paced time, age-old habits and traditional points of reference are re-composed (Braidotti, 2015). Conceptual creativity is important in such times.

The study is considering subjects that are becoming and embracing the transformation that is occuring. The following character embraces complexity as a core value of his cultural practice. He adequately expresses change and mutation in a pleasurable manner instead of experiencing them with a lot of anxiety. He enjoys living amidst the time of the process of hybridism, transition, and nomadisation. These are points at which the established modes of representation are defied.

This person enjoys the thrill of heights. He enjoys the idea of being suspended. He lives in multi-storey hotels or Airbnb’s around Gauteng. He enjoys activities like bungee jumping and sky diving.

Figure 15: Thrill seeker in the city (Author, 2021).

Migration is considered an immense behaviour change as it requires a conscious choice to break a routine (Tabor, 2010). It has been expected that in post-apartheid South Africa, temporary or regular internal labour migration would be substituted with the permanent settlement close to places of employment. However, Dorrit Posel (2004) has found that temporary internal labour migration has not declined in the country. Her evidence shows that it has rather increased (Postel, 2004). Although most of the migration is involuntary, there is a considerable amount that is voluntary. Unlike many psychological universals, migration is starting to be influenced by wanderlust instead of forces such as the economy. Aidan Tabor, an academic student refers self-selected migrants who decide to move independently as voluntary migrants (Tabor, 2010). The migration pattern of this character is determined by location of high rise residential buildings and extreme activities.