The Orb and the Spectre alludes to the invisible labour in the history of the spice trade, specifically in the harvesting and preparation of nutmeg. This aromatic seed, native to the Banda Islands in Indonesia, was so prized in the 17th century that the Dutch ceded Manhattan (then known as ‘New Amsterdam’) to the British, in exchange for control over the tiny island of Run where nutmeg flourished.

During a recent research trip to the Banda Islands, Khairulddin found that the people there continue to harvest nutmeg and mace with the same basic tools and manual methods that were in use even before the arrival of the Europeans in the 15th century. Historical accounts largely focus on the colonial powers and the theatre of war that shaped this region’s destiny, but the people who toiled on these lands have mostly been forgotten. The Orb and the Spectre seeks to shine a light on this group of people whose lives and labour drove the spice trade, inadvertently and irrevocably shaping the order of the new world.