In 1911, the Belgian Ministry of Colonies commissioned the painters Paul Mathieu and Alfred Bastien to create a Panorama, to show the territories of the Belgian Congo to the visitors of the International Exposition in Ghent, in 1913.
The Panorama of Congo is a huge circular painting (115 meters long by 14 meters high), designed to be viewed from a central viewpoint and thus creating an immersive experience. Deeply associated with colonial propaganda, it can now be considered sensitive heritage. The research project CONGO-VR — FilmEU RIT, digitized the painting and recreated it through a VR experience, bringing it into the debates of decolonization by inviting congolese artists to work on the subject.

I had the fortune to create two immersive illustrated works based on the Panorama of Congo, for the first critical exhibition of the research project Congo VR, ‘Panorama do Congo. Desenrolar o passado com a realidade virtual.‘ hosted at the National Museum of Natural History and Science in Lisbon from February to June 2024. The Panorama Key and Virtual Tour combine artistry and technology to take audiences on a captivating journey through history and imagination.

The Panorama Key translates the panorama painting into a detailed and easily accessible graphic illustration, available as a large wall print or digital menu for the VR experience.

The Virtual Tour accompanies visitors through the environments and showcased content, serving as a bridge between the past, present, and future. Digital handmade drawing and collage techniques were used to highlight the showcased content while subtly conveying the environment, ensuring a seamless user experience. Its main goal was to transport the public to the exhibition before its physical construction and to preserve the memory of the exhibition after its closing, allowing more people to enjoy it.

Digital 360º illustrations for the virtual tour
Drew from technical drawings in equirectangular format
Adobe Fresco on iPad Pro with Apple Pencil
A touch of Adobe Photoshop on the seamlines and a tiny patch on the nadirs

Vector 360º illustration for the panorama key
Traced from technical drawings in cylindrical format
Adobe Fresco on iPad Pro with Apple Pencil
Projection conversion in Adobe Illustrator