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Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique

Europeans have long depicted the foreign peoples they encountered through a heavily exoticized lens. This exoticized image and narrative is reflected in the Les Sauvages de la Mer wallpaper. What was the origin of this narrative, how does it influence contemporary life, and are there ways to deconstruct this narrative?

Stories

  • Les Sauvages de la Mer Pacifique

    story by Hanne Berendse.

    Whereas today travel is normalized, a couple of centuries ago very few were able to glimpse into the New World that was being discovered by the Europeans. In the late eighteenth century, it was possible to visit these places through stories and objects like this wallpaper. In this story, I will take you on a journey through this wallpaper, explaining the relation between the design and its exoticism in the context of the contemporary colonial narrative, as well as modern day efforts to break this narrative.

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