This project, inspired by late nineteenth century colonial documents, comprises an in-situ installation, a performance, a soundtrack, drawings and serigraphs.

The in-situ installation brings together "papier-maché" animals and a theater box in the form of a boat where seven "tableaux vivants" were performed. These were inspired by "The Fall of Sin Island", a 1894 play by August Mahieu about the Lombok's military expedition, and which has been censored. An orchestra playing the Cjakranegara Marsch (1894) is the soundtrack of the performance.

With this project, I wish to actualize the discourses about New Imperialism, a controversial moment in Western history. Furthermore, I want to ask what functions exoticism and authenticity still play today, highlighting how the political and the particular intertwine.

The project was made in collaboration with the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, KITLV, Tropenmuseum (Royal Tropical Institute), Museum Bronbeek (KTOMMB) and Conservatorium van Amsterdam.