Colonial Sampling is an intervention at the Royal Dutch Palace in Amsterdam that reflects on the so-called 'Golden Age' and its links to colonialism and its ideology. The design studio in which the design was developed was led by Jate Bleeker (Site Practice), Birgitte Louise Hansen (TU Delft) and Wouter Pocornie (Black Archives).
By juxtaposing artistic expressions from the former colonies with art woven into the architecture of the palace, the project aims to raise awareness of the socio-cultural oppression that the palace embodies.
The design plays with the art and interior objects from the former Dutch colonies, such as wood carvings, braids and weavings, wajangs and colourful paintings which are 'sampled' in the installation. These elements cover, mix with or expose the Western art of the palace. A light construction of bamboo, formed as a parasite through and around the building, works as a framework mixing the Orientalist arts with the vernacular art of the former Dutch colonies.
