03.

Reframing Our Shared Past

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The 1830 Project uncovers the hidden histories behind the seductive blue of luxury design. Blue-and-white ceramics first appeared in ninth-century Iraq and China, before the Dutch East India Company imported them to Europe. When this trade collapsed in 1644, Dutch ceramists created Delftware, sparking a Chinoiserie trend that later inspired France’s Toile de Jouy and Portugal’s Azulejos. Yet beneath this beauty lies a darker truth. Under the Cultuurstelsel (1830–1870), Javanese farmers were coerced into cultivating indigo for export, receiving only a fraction of its global value. This exploitation led to environmental destruction, slavery-like labour, gendered violence, and systemic racism—marking a painful chapter in Java’s history. This unfair work system still prevails under the guise of capitalism. Indigo blue, once valued more than gold, now serves as a symbol in our wearable design objects, reframing craft as a form of resistance.