27 May 2026

Graphic artist Stefan Hoffmann is currently at work in the C0 corridor. We’re following the process – from his idea and design, to screen exposure and final result on the glass wall. Hoffmann is using a special technique: vertical screen printing.

Design

On the glass tile wall, you can already see the outline of Hoffmann’s design in the paper sketches that reflect various historical elements. Hoffmann was especially intrigued by the intricate physics set-up that Heike Kamerlingh Onnes used for his experiments over a century ago. He links a playful reconstruction of copper pipes from the physics lab to historical miniature prints of the early days of Leiden University. The sketches relate to the Digesten, our main source of Roman law. In this way, the artist connects the various functions of the building with the long history of the law faculty. What used to be a laboratory has, since 2004, be home to Leiden Law School.

‘Juncto’

Working together with Professor of Legal History Egbert Koops and PhD candidate Tim Lubbers, both from the Institute for the Interdisciplinary Study of the Law, Hoffmann has selected 15 prints that reflect the diversity of our faculty institutes. The artist has already come up with a name for his artwork: Juncto, which is Latin and means ‘in conjunction with’. It is a widely used term in the legal world to show that two provisions should be interpreted together. But 'Juncto', or jo. for short, here also serves to link the historical Digesten titles to contemporary law. By using this title, Hoffmann therefore also links the past to the present. 

Screen printing process

As you’d expect from an artist who works in situ (on site), Hoffmann knows how to adapt to any situation. Screen printing is essentially refined graffiti – a stencil technique where parts of a very fine mesh, stretched over a metal frame, are blocked out while others are left open. In a small cupboard under the stairs near the library, he prepares the screens, exposing and rinsing them. The photos show him working on exposing a number of recurring shapes onto a screen using an emulsion.

Planning

Would you like to learn more about that process? Feel free to drop by and see how the artwork ‘Juncto’ is progressing in the C0 corridor!