FilmEU RIT project, Congo VR, launches the Panorama of Congo exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History and Science in Lisbon
Curated by Dr. Linda King (IADT), Prof. Leen Engelen (LUCA School of Arts, Belgium) and Prof. Victor Flores and Ana David Mendes (Lusofona University, Lisbon), the opening ceremony was conducted by Marta Lourenço (Director of MUHNAC), addressed by Manuel José Damásio (co-ordinator of FilmEU) and attended by Her Excellency, Alma Ní Choigligh (Ambassador of Ireland to Portugal).
The Panorama of Congo, is a huge painting (115 meters long by 14 metres tall) and one of the most notorious examples of Belgian colonial propaganda. Visualising the Belgian Congo through a series of distinct but connected vignettes, it was commissioned to encourage young Belgians to move to the territory and designed to distract from the international outcry raised by the publication of the Casement Report (1904) and other exposés of the brutality of Belgian colonialism. The painting was the centre piece of the World’s Fairs in Ghent (1913) and Brussels (1935) but has been in storage and unseen by the public for almost 90 years, until now.
The original Panorama was a painting to be experienced ‘in the round’, providing an ‘immersive experience’ for audiences. It would be impossible to display the original painting today, however, this exhibition re-creates it in both miniature physical form and in virtual reality.
The exhibition is a culmination of 18 months of collaborative research between 20+ scholars, photographers, videographers, artists, designers, film-makers, sound engineers, and VR specialists from IADT, Lusofona and LUCA, brought together through the FilmEU consortium. Panorama of Congo opens up conversations on colonial legacies, the decolonisation of museum collections more broadly and the digitisation of cultural heritage. The exhibition also addresses the role of artistic research in engaging public audiences with such issues. The VR re-construction of the Panorama includes specially commissioned works by Congolese artists Deogracias Kihalu, Castelie Yalombo, Eleonor Hellio and Michel Ekeba (Kongo Astronauts), Hadassa Ngamba and Lukah Katangila.
Panorama of Congo: Unrolling the Past with Virtual Reality runs until 16 June at MUHNAC. It will then travel to Belgium to be installed in the African Museum in Tervuren, Brussels in 2025, where it will be customised and re-interpreted through artefacts from the Museum’s collection.
Barry Dignam, Head of European Projects at IADT: ‘Congratulations to everyone involved in the Congo VR project. This initiative stands out as a remarkable example of artistic research and a testament to the strength of interdisciplinary collaboration. By bringing together talents from across FilmEU institutions, Congo VR has set a new benchmark in exploring historical narratives through virtual reality. It’s a significant achievement that demonstrates the incredible possibilities when researchers in film, technology, and academia join forces. Well done to the team for their dedication and for highlighting the importance of unity and innovation in pushing the boundaries of what we understand through art’.
For more information, see:
https://congopanorama.filmeu.eu https://www.museus.ulisboa.pt/exposicao-panorama-do-congo
