What began as an informal discussion between Dr Herman Myburgh (UJ Metaverse Research Unit) and Dr Dineke Orton (Curator, UJ Art Gallery) in October 2024 quickly evolved into a groundbreaking artistic experiment that captivated audiences and art critics alike. Toor|Bos, an enigmatic tour de force of collaborative and transdisciplinary artistic interpretations, made its successful debut at the 2025 Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (KKNK).
Curated by Dr Dineke Orton, Toor|Bos explores the innovative use of virtual reality in showcasing various art forms to create a truly immersive experience. Participants were able to witness the works of renowned visual artists Jaco van Schalkwyk and Willem Boshoff transformed into both physical and virtual installations that engaged various senses. The virtual reality experience was developed by Dr Herman Myburgh, Head of UJ’s Metaverse Research Unit.
A multi-sensory artistic journey
The project began with the visual artworks of Boshoff and Van Schalkwyk, followed by experimental transformations into virtual reality. In the VR experience, participants were enveloped by Van Schalkwyk’s oil paintings, while Boshoff’s work Word Woes became an installation upon which participants stood barefoot. In the virtual environment, this installation simulated the sensation of walking over leaves in a forest, creating a slightly slippery tactile experience reminiscent of rustling foliage.
Elements of Word Woes, which explores words with similar spelling but different meanings in Afrikaans and English, were incorporated into the VR experience, allowing viewers to interact with the deconstructed artwork. This interaction introduced a magical (“toor”) element into the virtual forest (“bos”) environment, addressing the visual senses of participants.
Auditory elements enhancing immersion
To create a truly immersive environment, the exhibition incorporated sophisticated auditory elements. Poets Bibi Slippers and Quaz Roodt (UJ Arts & Culture) each selected one of Van Schalkwyk’s artworks and crafted poems that related directly to their chosen pieces. They also collaborated on two poems based on the artworks Nemesis and Dark Age Fever Dream. The poem inspired by the latter was set to music by Dr Meyer (North-West University) and performed by Mitha Lubbe.
In the virtual experience, the other three poems are narrated by the poets themselves. Additionally, Dr Meyer composed music specifically for the artwork featured in the virtual experience. His compositions are not only inspired by the artworks and poems but complement them, ultimately deepening the viewer’s experience and enhancing the otherworldly atmosphere.
The power of collaboration
While the auditory elements are exclusive to the VR experience, the poetry and visual artworks are also physically exhibited in the space, along with olfactory elements and an installation of Boshoff’s word art that simulates the feeling of leaves underfoot during the VR experience. Although certain art forms served as starting points for others, there is undoubtedly an amplifying interplay between all elements.
As project leader, Dr Orton unified diverse creative talents around an overarching concept, fostering collaboration without imposing undue authority. Her premise is that when experts from various fields freely collaborate to create something, they have the opportunity to conjure something truly special into reality.
Celebrating linguistic heritage
The experience also commemorates the centenary of Afrikaans as a recognised, independent language. Having conceived the idea to create an Afrikaans VR experience as part of this celebration, Dr Myburgh discussed the possibilities with Dr Orton in October 2024. What followed were several months of collaborative exploration between the artists and UJ academics.
Reflecting on the experience, Dr Myburgh emphasised the power of first-language empowerment: “The idea to celebrate the language in which I think, dream and live through my passion for exciting novel technologies motivated me through the multiple late nights required to complete this experience. One thing I am certain about is that we need to celebrate all South African languages – whether they are official South African languages or not.”
Dr Orton echoed this sentiment: “It was such a rewarding experience to host a VR exhibition in Afrikaans, to explore how language and other art mediums could find synergy. We wanted to demonstrate that Afrikaans is a living language, constantly changing and evolving. We are also looking forward to develop this in other languages.”
Future exhibitions
Toor|Bos has been accepted by the Free State Arts Festival and will be on display in Bloemfontein from 15–19 July 2025.
