Beyond the Monstera
New Window × Aliki van der Kruijs
In a time where the majority rather chooses for the easy and cheap digital way of working, silk screen workshops are struggling to stay afloat. The One Window #1 project is meant to show the richness and diversity of the silk screen technique by giving three completely different artists a free hand in exploring this beautiful trade. By giving them one restriction – the use of only one silk screen – the participants are challenged to develop a new outlook on this traditional technique, resulting in new possibilities for its application.
Three artists will separately develop new works, all starting with the same tool; one screen printing frame, measuring 140×100cm.
Participants: Aliki van der Kruijs, Rogier Arents and Sacha van den Haak & Felix van Dam
Sponsored by Hurtz and Publivenor.
Colour vs Form
![colourvsform-8-1200](https://www.newwindow.nl/content/1-windows/0-aliki-van-der-kruijs/20151202-beyond-the-monstera/20150923-colour-vs-form/thumbs/colourvsform-8-1200.jpg)
While making the final print I saw a friction between colour and form. After making tests to see how they work together, I decided to empty the screen and start all over again.
Testing form
![testtest-7-1200](https://www.newwindow.nl/content/1-windows/0-aliki-van-der-kruijs/20151202-beyond-the-monstera/20150912-testing-form/thumbs/testtest-7-1200.jpg)
Now the big silkscreen is ready, I did some test prints to get a feeling of working with the 48T mesh.
Monster Monstera
![monstermonstera-6-1200](https://www.newwindow.nl/content/1-windows/0-aliki-van-der-kruijs/20151202-beyond-the-monstera/20150823-monster-monstera/thumbs/monstermonstera-6-1200.jpg)
The idea is to print one big leaf. But how to scale up the shape of the leaf to make the Monstera monstrous? In this post you can read about a free interpretation of the grading technique used in fashion to resize a pattern.
Sunflecks
![aliki-sunflecks-5-1200](https://www.newwindow.nl/content/1-windows/0-aliki-van-der-kruijs/20151202-beyond-the-monstera/20150803-sunflecks/thumbs/aliki-sunflecks-5-1200.jpg)
Parallel to reading the scientific paper about why the Monstera deliciosa is full of holes, I did a second light test to see what working with sunflecks does.
Why is the Monstera deliciosa plant full of holes?
![aliki-witpmdfoh-1-1200](https://www.newwindow.nl/content/1-windows/0-aliki-van-der-kruijs/20151202-beyond-the-monstera/20150724-why-is-the-monstera-deliciosa-plant-full-of-holes/thumbs/aliki-witpmdfoh-1-1200.png)
To get the answer to this question I contacted the scientist Christopher D. Muir (USA) who wrote an article on this. By contacting him I hope to get an insight in the plant’s construction. Valuable information for my approach for the final prints.
Light test
![aliki-lighttest-4-1200](https://www.newwindow.nl/content/1-windows/0-aliki-van-der-kruijs/20151202-beyond-the-monstera/20150625-light-test/thumbs/aliki-lighttest-4-1200.jpg)
After I’ve made cut outs of leaves, I wanted to test how the transparency of the leaves works when you expose them directly to UV light, on a screen with sensitive emulsion.
Split leaf
![monstera-0-1200](https://www.newwindow.nl/content/1-windows/0-aliki-van-der-kruijs/20151202-beyond-the-monstera/20150614-split-leaf/thumbs/monstera-0-1200.jpg)
After visiting the ‘The Oasis of Matisse’ exhibition I looked deeper into ways of constructing patterns with real leaves. I started to play with the organic shapes of a leaf and the geometric character of a grid.
Essence of form
![aliki-essence-1-1200](https://www.newwindow.nl/content/1-windows/0-aliki-van-der-kruijs/20151202-beyond-the-monstera/20150602-essence-of-form/thumbs/aliki-essence-1-1200.jpg)
Where to ‘harvest’ forms?
Using real leaves is something I would like to integrate in my One Window project. To work in a direct way, 1:1. At the moment I am finding out what kind of plant I will use, where it comes from and how to approach the imprint with it.
Living fossils
![aliki-japan2-lr-1200](https://www.newwindow.nl/content/1-windows/0-aliki-van-der-kruijs/20151202-beyond-the-monstera/20150519-living-fossils/thumbs/aliki-japan2-lr-1200.jpg)
In my research to find a way to make a flora imprint by physical movement I looked back at the Katazome workshop I did last summer in Japan, where I made an imprint of Ginkgo leaves from the garden of master Mr. Noguchi.
Starting point
![inspiration-wall-2-1200](https://www.newwindow.nl/content/1-windows/0-aliki-van-der-kruijs/20151202-beyond-the-monstera/20150508-starting-point/thumbs/inspiration-wall-2-1200.jpg)
Where to start when there is one rule; use a screen of 140x100 cm that can only be exposed one time. And what to expose then? One condition is set: the surface I will print upon will be textile. Therefor the window is already spanned with mesh type 48T.
A few months ago I pinned this image on my studio wall that I will use as a guide for this project to create a flora imprint by physical movement.
The second participant of One Window #1
![interview-series-proofflab-magazine-curated-by-studio-makkink-bey-aliki-van-der-kruijs-photo-by-lonneke-van-der-palen-1200](https://www.newwindow.nl/content/1-windows/0-aliki-van-der-kruijs/20151202-beyond-the-monstera/20150508-the-second-participant-of-one-window-no1/thumbs/interview-series-proofflab-magazine-curated-by-studio-makkink-bey-aliki-van-der-kruijs-photo-by-lonneke-van-der-palen-1200.jpg)
Photo by Lonneke van der Palen © Interview series PROOFFLab Magazine curated by Studio Makkink&Bey
Through her work Aliki van der Kruijs explores the relationship (context) between colour, culture and environment with a specialization in textile. Nature is material and subject at the same time. During the master Applied Art at the Sandberg Institute (2012) Aliki juxtaposed her graphic- and fashiondesign background into a practice where textile as information carrier plays a fundamental role.