Glass Angels VR takes you through the infamous Owl House in the town of Nieu-Bethesda. Explore its dark mysteries and uncover the fate of South Africa's most polarising unsung artists.
Shown at Fak'ugesi at Tshimologong, Johannesburg, from 13 to 16 October 2026.
One lantern. One house. Alone.
Julia Malgas, Koos Malgas's granddaughter, hands you a lantern at the gate. Then you go in alone.
Every candle you light wakes the walls, and a million shards of crushed glass blaze out of the dark. Pick up what Helen Martins left behind and she starts to talk, in the voice of Wendy Mollink.
- Headset
- Meta Quest 3 or 3S. It's stand-alone, so you don't need a PC.
- How you play
- Sitting or standing.
- Moving
- You walk by raising the lantern or with the stick. There's no teleport, and comfort is moderate.
- Getting it
- Free on SideQuest, coming soon.
- Status
- A non-commercial prototype. It isn't on the Meta store.
The Making Of Glass Angels VR
The Virtual Owl House
At Fak'ugesi 2026
Nieu-Bethesda, Eastern Cape
The Owl House
Helen Martins (1897-1976) spent more than thirty years turning her house in Nieu-Bethesda, a small Karoo village, into a work of art, with cement, mirrors, coloured glass and wire.
Koos Malgas, a sheep-shearer and builder, worked with her from 1964 until her death. They designed the sculptures in the Camel Yard together, and he did the cement and glass work. For decades the house was presented as hers alone.
In 2008 Julia Malgas and Jeni Couzyn published Koos Malgas, Sculptor of the Owl House.
Credits
- Cast
- Julia Malgas as herself
- Wendy Mollink as Helen Martins
- Writer and Director
- Jason Mollink
- Producer
- Lebo Leitch
- Worldbuilder
- Dale P. Deacon (aka deaconline)
- 3D Artist and Asset Production
- Hylton Rodel
- Music Composer and Sound Designer
- Dustin van Wyk
- Poster Artists
- Kiara Braum
- Nuha Suliman
Prototype notice and attributions
This prototype has been created as a non-commercial cultural and educational initiative for research, development and public engagement. It is presented as a work in development and is not currently intended for commercial sale or exploitation.
The full project is being developed as an educational and cultural experience centred on the history, people and stories of Nieu-Bethesda.
3D models
- "Winged owl-camel with ruby nippled woman" by Global Digital Heritage and GDH-Afrika, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. Decimated by XR Native (polygon count reduced).
- "Shepherd holding lambs - Owl House" by Global Digital Heritage and GDH-Afrika, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. Decimated by XR Native (polygon count reduced).
- "Baby - Owl House" by Global Digital Heritage and GDH-Afrika, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. Decimated by XR Native (polygon count reduced).
- "Sideways seated Helen - Owl House" by Global Digital Heritage and GDH-Afrika, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. Decimated by XR Native (polygon count reduced).
Sound
- "cluster chord reverb.aiff" by bevibeldesign, Creative Commons 0.
- "Dissonant Choir Rise 001" by MeijstroAudio, Attribution 4.0.
- "Dissonant Choir Rise 002" by MeijstroAudio, Attribution 4.0.
- "Psynte" by keplar, Attribution 4.0.
Support
Glass Angels is a prototype. To finish it, we need funding, places to show it, and help from people who know the Owl House.
Your message goes to Dale P. Deacon, the worldbuilder, and he'll reply.