Dr Karl van Heerden has been a scholar and lecturer in the fields of Visual Culture and Digital Media for the past 12 years and has he a keen interest in the evolution of sexual identity formation and expression in virtual communities. Karl’s professional history includes a prodigious background in commercial photography. For over a decade, he has established a broad portfolio of commercial clients as well as appearing in several gallery exhibitions. A synergy of academic and commercial interests enriches Karl’s academic investigations into internet culture and virtual communities through an exploration of the role photography plays in online identity formation. Conversely, his simultaneous exposure to the commercial and academic worlds has resulted in an artistic style that is both philosophically and conceptually grounded while remaining commercially appealing.
BIOGRAPHY
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATION COMPLETED
| Qualification | NQF | Field of Study | Institution | Year | Majors | Distinctions |
|---|
| Degree | 7 | Visual Communication | Open Window | 2012 | Photography | Top student in photography for 2 years. Highest mark for dissertation. |
| Honours | 8 | Visual Communication | Open Window | 2013 | | |
| Masters | 9 | Visual Arts | University of Pretoria | 2020 | | Cum laude, Robin Aldwinckel Scholarship award for Top Academic achievement |
| PhD | 10 | Digital Culture and Media | Open Window | 2025 | | |
WORK EXPERIENCE
| Employer | Type of Work | Period |
|---|
| Various | Freelance digital artist | 02 / 2012 – present |
| Open Window | Short-course lecturer | 04 / 2012 – 2017 |
| Open Window | Degree lecturer | 02 / 2013 – 03 / 2022 |
| Open Window | Subject manager: Visual Culture | 04 / 2022 – present |
MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE
COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
| Role | Context | Period |
|---|
| Branding committee member | Responsible for the oversight and management of OW-related branding and advertising. | 2016 – 2018 |
| Digital committee member | Responsible for the management and oversight of OW digital ecosystems: Adobe Creative Cloud, Google Apps for Education. | 2018 – 2024 |
| Assessment committee member | Responsible for the development and maintenance of OW assessment policies. | 2018 – 2023 |
| Research committee member | Responsible for ethics approvals, OW reference style, and other research initiatives. | 2023 – present |
| Digital committee Chair | Responsible for policy and procedure development for IT and software-related matters at Open Window. | 2025 – 2026 |
INSTITUTIONAL DOCUMENTATION
| Document | Committee | Role | Date |
|---|
| Policy on Assessment | Assessment | Head author | 2020 |
| Procedures for Assessment and Reasssessment | Assessment | Co-author | 2020 |
| Procedure for Examination | Assessment | Co-author | 2020 |
| Procedure for Appealing Results | Assessment | Moderator | Editor |
| Policy on Moderation | Assessment | Co-author | 2020 |
| Procedure for Moderation | Assessment | Editor | 2020 |
| Policy on Recognition of Prior Learning | Assessment | Editor | 2020 |
| Procedures for RPL & CAT | Assessment | Editor | 2020 |
| OW Referencing Guide | Research | Co-author | 2020 – present |
| Policy on Handling Harassment, Discrimination, and Assault | Unassigned | Editor | 2019 |
| Procedure for Handling Harassment, Discrimination, and Assault | Unassigned | Head author | 2019 |
| Policies on Postgraduate Studies | Research | Editor | 2023 – present |
| Procedure for Postgraduate Supervision | Research | Editor | 2023 – present |
| Procedure for Student Ethics Approval | Research | Editor | 2023 – present |
| Policy on Staff Research | Research | Editor | 2023 – present |
| Procedure for Research Incentives | Research | Editor | 2023 – present |
| Policy on Acceptable Use of Computing Resources | Digital | Editor | 2025 |
| Policy on Data Privacy & Security | Digital | Editor | 2025 |
| Policy on IT Provisioning | Digital | Editor | 2025 |
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
DEGREE COURSES PRESENTED AT Open Window
| Course | Level | Role | Period |
|---|
| Visual Culture 100 | 1st year | Self developed | 2013 – 2020 |
| Visual Culture 200 | 2nd year | Co-developed | 2016 – 2018 |
| Visual Culture 300 | 3rd year | Co-developed | 2019 – 2020 |
| Visual Culture 300 | 3rd year | Self developed | 2024 – present |
| Media Perspectives 100 | 1st year | Co-developed | 2020 – 2023 |
| Art History 100 | 1st year | Self developed | 2020 – 2023 |
| Art History 200 | 2nd year | Co-developed | 2020 – 2023 |
| Academic Practice 100 | 1st year | Self developed | 2017 – 2019 |
| Academic Practice 100 | 1st year | Co-developed | 2020 |
| Research Practice 300 | 3rd year | Self developed | 2019 – 2023 |
| Photoshop SLP | 1st year | Self developed | 2013 – 2016 |
| Photoshop for Beginners | 2nd year | Self developed | 2013 – 2018 |
| Post-production 200 | 2nd year | Self developed | 2013 – 2018 |
| Post-production 300 | 3rd year | Self developed | 2013 – 2018 |
| Macro and Close-up Photography | 3rd year | Co-developed | 2013 – 2018 |
| Studio Lighting 200 | 2nd year | Co-developed | 2013 – 2018 |
| Studio Lighting 300 | 3rd year | Co-developed | 2013 – 2018 |
| Adobe Bootcamp 100 | 1st year | Self developed | 2019 – present |
SHORT COURSES PRESENTED AT Open Window
| Course | Role | Period |
|---|
| Camera Foundation | Self developed | 2012 – 2014 |
| Creative Lighting | Self developed | 2012 – 2014 |
| Illustrator for Beginners | Self developed | 2012 – 2014 |
| InDesign for Beginners | Self developed | 2012 – 2014 |
| Photoshop for Beginners | Self developed | 2012 – 2014 |
| Photo Album Layout | Self developed | 2012 – 2014 |
| Photoshop for Photographers | Self developed | 2012 – 2014 |
| Studio Lighting for People | Self developed | 2012 – 2014 |
| Studio Lighting Products | Self developed | 2012 – 2014 |
| Photography Toolkit SLP | Self developed | 2012 – 2014 |
| Corporate ID | Self developed | 2012 – 2014 |
OTHER TEACHING CONTRIBUTIONS AT Open Window
| Subject | Level | Contribution | Period |
|---|
| Photoshop for Designers | 2nd year | Study Guide | 2014 |
| Spatial Design 100 | 1st year | Study Guide Co-author | 2017 |
| Spatial Deisgn 200 | 2nd year | Study Guide Co-author | 2017 |
| Spatial Visualisation Techniques | 2nd year | Study Guide Co-author | 2017 |
| Projection Mapping Surfaces Design | 2nd year | Study Guide Co-author | 2017 |
CREATIVE OUTPUTS AND PROJECTS
CREATIVE OUTPUTS
| Output | Title | Venue | Details | Date |
|---|
| Exhibition | Advertising Campaign for Huygens | Open Window | As part of the 2012 Honours Exhibition | 11 / 2012 |
| Exhibition | Untitled | Open Window | As part of the staff exhibition “25cm cubed” | 11 / 2013 |
| Exhibition | Untitled #2 | Open Window | As part of a group exhibition | 2014 |
| Live audiovisual performance | AV Jam | Open Window | Held during the iMPAC Film Festival | 2015 |
| Exhibition | Exquisite Corpse | Open Window | Created in collaboration with Nina Torr and Carmen Koetje | 2017 |
| Exhibition | ”Lost” and “Kenophobia” | Open Window | As part of the group exhibition “Blood, Sweat, and Fears” | 2017 |
| Exhibition | Exquisite Corpse | Open Window | Created in collaboration with Estee Steyn and Jan Pretorius | 2018 |
| Exhibition | ”Abduction of the Sabine Women,” “Drame au Dessert,” “Laocoon and his Sons,” and “Orpheus and Eurydice” | Open Window | As part of the group exhibition “In Character” | 2018 |
| Exhibition | Goops! | Art Lovers 1932 | As part of the group exhibition “Spot” | 2018 |
| Exhibition | A Place I Will Return to Someday | Open Window | As part of the group exhibition “The Third Dimension” | 2019 |
| Exhibition | No One Was Ever There | Open Window | As part of the group exhibition “SWAY” | 2019 |
| Installation | Digital Tourist | Kgorong Gallery | Solo exhibition in fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Visual Arts degree | 2019 |
| Installation | Tropophilia | Open Window | Interactive installation as part of the group exhibition “Matter” | 9 / 2025 |
CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
| Role | Event | Duration | Product | Date |
|---|
| Guest Speaker | Creative Jamboree | 2 days | Lighting workshop | 2012 |
| Guest speaker | Fujifilm expo | 2 days | Cinemagraph workshop | 2016 |
| Guest speaker | Photo+ Africa | 1 day | Cinemagraph workshop | 2018 |
| Organiser and Manager | Behance Portfolio | 1 day | Behance Portfolio Event | 2018 |
| Speaker | Colloquium ARTH & AI | 1 day | ”Utilising Tree-of-Thought Prompting to Facilitate Self-Reflective Analysis in Undergaduate Media Studies Students” | 2024 |
RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
PUBLICATIONS IN PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS
| Title | Authors | Journal | Date | Publisher | Pages |
|---|
| Queer(ed) Avatars: Exploring visual identity construction in Final Fantasy XIV Online Gaymers | van Heerden, K. | Games and Culture | SAGE | 2025 | 1–24 |
BOOKS AND / OR CHAPTERS IN BOOKS
| Title | Authors | Publisher | Date | Pages |
|---|
| Utilising Tree-of-Thought prompting to facilitate self-reflective analysis in undergraduate media studies students | van Heerden, K. | Palgrave Macmillan | forthcoming | |
POSTGRADUATE SUPERVISION OR CO-SUPERVISION
| Name of student | Degree | Title and Date | Supervisors | Duration | Institution |
|---|
| Justin Couto | BA Hons | Queer male performativity and representation in contemporary South African Cinema (2020) | Karl van Heerden | 1 year | Open Window |
| Jovan Stephens | BA Hons | Photography as a tool to visually construct online identity for social currency (2020) | Karl van Heerden and Dr Jayne Crawshay-Hall Robertson | 1 year | Open Window |
| Cameron Pheiffer | BA Hons | Game designers, gender-based violence, and gender inequality in online video games (2021) | Karl van Heerden | 1 year | Open Window |
| Melissa Visser | BA Hons | Augmented reality in packaging: Enhancing a consumer’s brand experience (2021) | Karl van Heerden and Carmen Koetje | 1 year | Open Window |
| Nicole van Niekerk | BA Hons | Collaboration as a means of photographic exploration: Finding meaning within the realm of the Post-Documentary approach (2021-2022) | Karl van Heerden and Nina Hnibal | 2 years | Open Window |
| Werner Botha | BA Hons | Queering the frame: Arriving at responsible representation through failure (2022-2023) | Karl van Heerden, Katelyn Chetty, and Maaike Bakker | 2 years | Open Window |
| Caleb Billings | BA Hons | Campness in children’s animation: Subverting tropes through character design, narrative, and performance (2023) | Karl van Heerden | 1 year | Open Window |
| Jade Pretorius | BA Hons | Artificial Intelligence in 3D Animation: Exploring AI’s role in enhancing artistic creativity (2024) | Karl van Heerden and Sean Viljoen | 1 year | Open Window |
| Project | Institution / Community | Context | Details | Period |
|---|
| Queer Peers | Open Window | LGBTQIA+ support group | Co-founder with Marinda Botha | 2017 – 2020 |
| Level Up! | Open Window | Video game social club | Co-founder with Lala Crafford | 2017 – 2020 |
| Team Valiance | Open Window | eSports Team | | 2018 – 2020 |