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Made by Rain
Travelling concept #1
Made by Rain Aliki van der Kruijs
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Introduction
Made by Rain
A rough guide If rain could be defined as national heritage, the Netherlands has a rich history. Rain is an immaterial element, which can not be archived, only remembered.
CONTEXT TEXT TEXTILE
This project by Aliki van der Kruijs – a Dutch designer – explores the intersection between sky and earth. With her experimental technique hydrography (a form of photography without light) she captures the intangibility of the rain by exposing ink-filmed textile materials to it. This process based technique results in a collection of hydrographic printed textiles, that juxtapose the sky with life on earth into a parallel landscape. It also became an exploration of the issues of time and materiality. The textiles developed an understanding of matter as being in itself temporal and of time as living duration, both being essentially continuous and open-ended. The term travelling concept is borrowed from Mieke Bals book ‘Travelling Concepts in the Humanities’ that is intended as a guidebook for interdisciplinary cultural analysis in the Humanities. Analysing a variety of concepts such as meaning, metaphor, narrative and myth that travel between disciplines illustrates the possibilities of these concepts. This first Travelling concept – Made by Rain – departed by mapping rain upon a surface but has transformed into a living creature, embedded in new questions and considerations. Is the spectator now able to perceive wetness?
Travelling concept #1
Starting point
Weather registration After the death of my grand father, my uncle gave me 12 calendars where my grandfather wrote down the weather conditions each day of the year. These calendars have been the starting point for this Travelling Concept work. Like a diary, I started mapping the atmosphere. Visually.
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1992 01-04-1992 guur weer af en toe zon 8 graden 02-04-1992 goed koud weer 8-9 graden 03-04-1992 regen in de morgen overdag goed weer 10 graden 04-04-1992 koud weer met buien 8 graden 05-04-1992 het blijft koud 9 graden 06-04-1992 weer koud weer 9 graden koude wind 07-04-1992 no wind koud toch 9-10 graden 08-04-1992 weer noorde wind en koud in de zon en uit de wind tot 15 gr 09-04-1992 no wind in de zon en uit de zon 17 gr 10-04-1992 wel zon maar no wind heel koud 13 graden 11-04-1992 veel zon en betere 16 graden
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Observer: Willem van der Kruijs, *15-11-1921 †19-06-2003 Period: April, 1992 Location: Gemert, The Netherlands
12-04-1992 af en toe zon en regen 13 gr 13-04-1992 van nacht ongeveer half 4 ‘n aardbeving met 5,5 op de schaal v richter, koud en regen 9 graden ned.2. 18.15
22-04-1992 vandaag weer geen zon en weer kouder ‘n graaf of 10 en no wind 23-04-1992 regen weer met wat zon 9-10 graden
14-04-1992 weer koud winderig weer 8-9 graden
24-04-1992 buieg weer en geen zon 10 graden
15-04-1992 meer regen en kouder 7 graden
25-04-1992 droog voor de middag na de middag regen 10 graden
16-04-1992 heel heel koud 4-5 graden met no wind 17-04-1992 koud en nat weer 6 graden 18-04-1992 weer regen en overdag wat warmer en wat meer 9 graden 19-04-1992 weer koud en schraal weer 8 gr. ‘t is laat pasen maar flinke kloove 20-04-1992 nog koud weer en no wind 8-9 graden 21-04-1992 ’t weer is iets beter na de middag zon boven de 15 graden
26-04-1992 regen weer en koud 10-11 graden 27-04-1992 als maar regen en koud 10 gr 28-04-1992 heel veel regen met temperaturen van 13-15 graden 29-04-1992 negen buien en temp. van 14-16 graden 30-04-1992 het was goed weer met de verjaardag van de prinses. met temperatuur van 14-16 graden
Travelling concept #1
2012
Starting point
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Observer: Aliki van der Kruijs, *15-06-1984 Period: April 2012 Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
vier april tweeduizend twaalf 1 mm regen
negentien april tweeduizend twaalf 1 mm regen
zes april tweeduizend twaalf 2 mm regen
twintig april tweeduizend twaalf 3,5 mm regen
acht april tweeduizend twaalf 6 mm regen
eenentwintig april tweeduizend twaalf 3 mm regen
negen april tweeduizend twaalf 14 mm regen
tweeentwintig april tweeduizend twaalf 9 mm regen
tien april tweeduizend twaalf 1 mm regen
drieentwinitgapril tweeduizend twaalf 2 mm regen
elf april tweeduizend twaalf 9 mm regen
vierentwintig april tweeduizend twaalf 8 mm regen
twaalf april tweeduizend twaalf 0,5 mm regen
vijfentwintigapril tweeduizend twaalf 3 mm regen
dertien april tweeduizend twaalf 1 mm regen
zesentwintig april tweeduizend twaalf 2 mm regen
viertien april tweeduizend twaalf 2 mm regen
zevementwintig april tweeduizend twaalf 11 mm regen
zeventien april tweeduizend twaalf 3 mm regen
achtentwintig april tweeduizend twaalf 1 mm regen
Screenshots Buienradar April 22, 2012 08:40 am , 08:55 am, 09:15 am & 09:20 am
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Newspaper article: NRC weekend, saturday april 28 & sunday april 29
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Linear clouds
‘O Holland schoon’ old etches of Dutch landscapes combined with illustrative text by M.A. Prick van Wely
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Shelter Space is changing because of rain. People start to share space where they can shelter. On the contrary, a rain suit will create distance. In a movie on You tube I heard a blind man saying: “The wonderful thing about rain is that it outlines the contour of the immediate landscape around you. You hear the space. When we became more urban, we tend to really forget that basic pleasure and touching whatever the environment is.”
≥ Individual shelter
Common shelter
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≥ photo’s: Dutch National Archive
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Rainmaking Rainmaking is also known as Artificial precipitation and is the act of attempting to artificially induce or increase precipitation, usually to stave off drought. According to the clouds’ different physical properties, this can be done using airplanes or rockets to sow to the clouds catalysts such as dry ice, silver iodide and salt powder, to make clouds rain or increase precipitation, to remove or mitigate farmland drought, to increase reservoir irrigation water or water supply capacity, or to increase water levels for power generation. (source: wikipedia)
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hy is it W always raining in my first memories?
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In the making To make each hydrography, the textiles are prepared with a thin layer of ink. This film is sensitive to water and is used to make rainpatterns. There are two techniques of hydrography; a digital and an analogue. After observing the sky, the darkness of the clouds is judged to expect if rain will fall down. There are different ways to expose the fabrics: gradient, horizontal, vertical.
The fabric is put in the right position, preferably on rooftops to be closer to the sky. Stones or other heavy material will avoid the wind get a hold on the fabrics.
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Screening the rain Stills out of hydrography-process movie: ‘One minute rain’
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Given gradient guideline I
Detail shots of the contrast becoming visible while rain is falling upon the surface. Patterns appear because rain connects the textile with a hidden film underneath.
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Given gradient guideline II
Ingredients: cotton + inkpaper + rain Date of exposure: june 24, 2012, 7:50 am
≼ Details of final hydrography
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Digital analogism
Printing the filmed textile in the Printlab of Audax Textiel Museum Tilburg. Exposure to rain: minute by minute ≥
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Burned water
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≤ Horizontal exposure
Vertical exposure
≥ one minutes Ingredients: photopaper + inkpaper + rain
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Index
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Index
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Global tools Global Tools is a selection out of a couple series of photographs which can be seen as a very simple and elementary design approach. The constructions are studies in an architectural language which are metaphors for situations, settings, atmospheres, rituals, colour and material forecasts or pattern inspiration; they are tools in a desire for change.
#1 – sky and earth
#2 – waterfall
#3 – wooden chair
#4 – airport
#5 – paradise
#6 – everybody is an island
#7 – cosmos
#8 – light
#9 – curtain
#10 – luggage
#11 – me part II
#12 – life as a stage
#13 – carpet
#14 – me part I
#15 – rolled out reality
#16 – how to wear a square
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Front and back side of the same piece of textile.
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Horizontal exposures
April 5, 2012
April 8, 2012
April 8, 2012
April 20, 2012
April 20, 2012
April 20, 2012
April 22, 2012 & April 23, 2012
April 22, 2012 & April 23, 2012
April 22, 2012 & April 23, 2012
April 9, 2012
April 11, 2012
April 11, 2012
April 22, 2012 & April 23, 2012
April 22, 2012 & April 23, 2012
April 22, 2012 & April 23, 2012
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Imprint of objects For Ettorre Sottsass, being modern did not imply the possibility or the necessity to shift ‘ the function’ of an object but it was more important to shift the relationship between the objects and the environment. To change the ‘way of living’ with objects. These days objects derive people pleasure. They get this out of filling their home with status-trophies derived from currencies and bank accounts. Sottsass believed that objects somehow need to be saved from this kind of consumerism. Sottsass thought that the only reason of designing things could be given a ‘therapeutic’ function. Design should help people to live by prompting through their presence a perception of existence, of our gestures within existence and of our gestures in view of its end. ‘Objects should be catalysts of cultural perception’. The object in relation to it’s environment. How will an object be touched by rain? Hydrography on three-dimensional objects intermingles a horizontal and vertical exposure technique. It becomes a 2D imprint of a 3D event.
Part of my desk
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Vertical exposure The angle of the exposure is an important factor for the effect of the hydrography. Horizontal exposures leads to pattern. Vertical exposures leads to lines. The textile on the right is exposed in a 45째 angle.
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De sign ing a colourcode 1
No where Now here
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‘Men in a state of nature, uncivilised nations, children, have great fondness for colours in their utmost brightness, and especially for yellow-red; they are also pleased with the motley. By this expression we understand the juxtaposition of vivid colours without a harmonious balance; but this balance is observed, through instinct or accident, an agreeable effect may be produced.’ 3 People react strongly on colour especially on rainbows. The rainbow keeps a mystery. It’s a state of nature. What happens if the rainbow becomes object of catalyst for cultural perception?
Straight rainbow, 2011. Papercollage, 30 x 50 cm by Aliki van der Kruijs
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‘de’: enoting removal or reversal
2 ‘sign’: an object, quality, or event whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else 3
Goethe, Theory of colour #835,326
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≤ Goethe’s colourwheel
≥ Diagram of the prism, left a white strip on a black background and left a black stroke on white background.
The direction of light shining into darkness arranges colour. Less light, different colors, a moderate darkness weaves different colors, a vivid darkness other colors – constant change.
Indigo – reluctantly – stopped by the growing darkness – somehow darker on the periphery.
Orange – the center of gravity is high – flowing upwards.
Violet – moving only slowly from top to bottom, no further movement.
Yellow – bright – fully in line with the light.
Green (chromium oxide) quiet, motionless – fast shaping form.
Magenta – no visible movement – never form.
Yellow-green – split into smaller veils, rhythmic dancing around and with the light that is green.
Turquoise – no visible movement, except on the outside – an obliquely incident recurrence of the green.
Carmine – the weight of darkness lies low in the middle – is spreading – (counter for the colour behind the light)
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Cobalt – a light through the empty center – becoming darker around the circumference.
The movement of morninglight
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Movement in color caused by the inhibitory effect of light where the impulse arises out of darkness.
The movement of eveninglight
Vermilion - the center of the compaction is in the middle – moving quickly – an overwhelming concentration of colour.
Source: ‘Licht kleur en duisternis’ by L. Collot D’Herbois
≤ Diagram of the heat
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The colour of rain
image: KNMI Neerslag Radararchief
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5 10 mm per uur
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I picture the rain
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Fluid colours I Pantone Inc. has a secret meeting twice a year to discuss the colour of the year. This colour purportedly connects with the zeitgeis: for example the press release declaring Honeysuckle the colour of 2011 said “In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating colour that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues”. The results are published in Pantone view and help costume-oriented companies to guide their designs and planning for future products. It becomes a service for the ‘need’ of people. pantone + rain = Reinventing the colour range My textiles are a result of a research on circumstances that not only influence colour, but also the perception of colour. As an alchemist, I transform the pantone colour chart into an amorphous new colour palette. An unfixed digital printed textile is exposed to water, which mixes the colours of the surface. The project starts with the basics of printing. I do not design a print, I de-sign a production process in order to create another dimension. This because the result becomes an imprint of time and space. My research into colours started out of the hydrographic rainfabrics. I found a framework wherein I investigate the possible expansion of a material.
Just printed
Just rained upon
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Fluid colours II
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Newspaper article: de Volkskrant, August 13, 2010
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Contextile Collection #1 – Made by Rain
EXI|S|T
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Colophon This publication is a result of CONTEXTILE; a project of Aliki van der Kruijs that is part of a research into colour, context, text & textile.
Travelling Concept #1 Made by Rain Graphic Design: Lena Steinborn & Aliki van der Kruijs English editor: Geert Slits Printing: Xerox All images by Aliki van der Kruijs unless marked otherwise
Thanks to Lena Steinborn for editorial help, Frans Verbunt and the Audax Textiel Museum Tilburg for the textile printing & thanks to all who have been a support. Financial support by Materiaalfonds
Š Aliki van der Kruijs July 2012, Amsterdam
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