Abstract:
Architecture has often been described as a reflection of society
and its current human condition. The converse opinion states
that architecture continues to play a major role in constructing
that very same society, long after it is built. These statements
are most evident where architecture has been intentionally used
as a tool of dominance and control. Within a new democratic
South African society, the invisible walls of Apartheid have
been replaced by physical fences used to ensure ‘the public’ of
their safety and security. This has resulted in the fence fetish.
The fence fetish is a common phenomenon around the world, as
global architecture trends promote autonomy, object buildings
and the urban bourgeois. Reinterpreting the notion of the fence
as a series of thresholds, allows architects to use design as a tool
for disclosing accessibility to the public realm, intentionally
fostering democratic, collective and interpersonal space within
the emerging urban landscapes.
