Byderhand Tuinverse (At hand: Garden Poetry) is a site specific digital literature project by the North-West University, Potchefstroom, South-Africa. In this project fifteen Afrikaans poets wrote poems and children’s poetry for the NWU Botanical Gardens in Potchefstroom. The poems are read by the poets and complemented with typographic animations and musical arrangements, as well as 15 totem poles with motives from the poems by the world acclaimed land artist Strijdom van der Merwe.
A selection from At hand: Garden Poetry was displayed as an example of e-literature as part of the Introduction to Electronic Literature course at the DHSI (6-10 June 2016), University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
2 gardens, 2 continents, 2 hemispheres – 2 experience(s), 2 connect.
A few examples of Garden Poetry in the garden of the University of Victoria:
Franci Greyling: Met die voëls praat (Talking to the birds)
TT Cloete: Potchefstroom
The installation in the NWU Botanical Gardens, Potchefstroom:
some of the poets with art work by Strijdom van der Merwe:
Franci Greyling: Wie kwetter so? (with TT Cloete: Potchefstroom)
Bernard Odendaal: Paddaluisterbankie, Botaniese Tuin, Potchefstroom
Heilna du Plooy: Binneblik
Hans du Plessis: Botaniesetuinsonnet
Hein Viljoen: Onder die soetdoring
Johan Myburg: Mater Hortensis
Adri Breed: Skryfopdrag
Jansen Vermeulen: Tuinwerker: ‘n skets
Ruan Fourie: verlieskuns
Carina van der Walt: hoe Eybers & Tutu kyk
Susan Smith: By die soetdoring
Chris van Niekerk, curator of the NWU Botanical Garden