During further research about colonial art, we noticed similarities in the Western depictions of enslaved people:
 

• Enslaved people were mostly shown physically unharmed and violence was usually only depicted in the context of battles.
• The harsh working conditions were not sufficiently represented.
• Unrealistic difference in size between enslaved people and colonizers. 

Based on the results of our research, we developed prompts that we could apply to the propaganda artworks.

In order to validate our concept, it’s framing and the prompts, we consulted with people of colonial descent, which resulted in a wide-ranging survey. The responses were clear: people of colonial descent felt underrepresented in the exhibition. The feedback validated our concept and provided valuable insights on our prompts.

Starting to work on our prototype, we needed to select a piece from the Wereldmuseum’s collection. We picked a schoolposter titled “Muskaatnotenbedrijf op de Banda-eilanden” (Muscat nut farm in the Banda Islands). It is a classic example of propaganda art from the Dutch colonial era which was shown in the exhibition. Being part of an educational series, it was used by various institutes to teach Dutch history. The depicted workers sit in the shade, some of them smiling, wearing clean clothes. It appears as if they are enjoying their work. The colonial ruler is only hinted at in the background, he seems almost passive. It is a idyllic picture, there are no traces of violence to be seen. Due to its historical deception, it was perfect to use for our prototype.

The challenge now was to translate the results of our research and data collection into prompts. When experimenting with the school poster, it became clear that transforming the artwork works best with abstract prompts.