With both a passion for natural materials, artists annex researchers Lucila Kenny and Naan Rijks are devoted to strengthen the relationship between nature and arts. Both diligent initiators on this matter, they aim to increase the relevance and usability of organic and durable dyes and binders for artistic production. They intend to explore new concepts and put into discussion general assumptions about color, ink and the responsible use of production material. With their research, they want to raise awareness on environmental implications of art production and restore a cultural art form.

Their project for the Talent Pressure Cooker of 2017 – Painting Plants – is an ongoing research project focused on making paints and inks out of plants and how to make these suitable for different printing techniques. The focus is on the insight of the process of colouring with plant material to develop or find alternatives from normal printing paint. Little has been researched on printing with natural dyes on textile, which is not the same as dyeing textiles or printing on paper. This contributes to the knowledge of thickening dyes for screenprinting. The aim is to research the (in)stability of colour after washing and being exposed to sunlight.