Antía Iglesias | Expanded Art

This study investigates the use of waste fibers from invasive species like Phytolacca americana as a sustainable alternative to traditional wood fibers, such as Eucalyptus globulus, in paper production. Conducted in the Ribadumia riparian forest in Galicia, Spain, the research assessed the physical and mechanical properties of paper made from Phytolacca americana pulp, showing that it performs comparably or better than commercial paper fibers. The results suggest that using invasive species’ waste fibers could reduce monocultures, promote biodiversity, and support zero-waste practices in the paper industry.

“Un bosque de malas hierbas” [A forest of weeds] is a visual project, based on doctoral research “Ecosistemas gráficos” [Graphic ecosistems] explores the interaction between art, science, and environmental studies by focusing on four invasive plant species in the riparian forest of the Umia River, Galicia. It presents a transdisciplinary perspective on ecological issues, highlighting the potential reuse of plant waste from species like Eucalyptus globulus and Phytolacca americana. The book visually showcases the research through a blend of scientific and artistic elements, including pigments, papers, microscopy images, and aerial views, offering a new perspective on the relationship between nature, science, and art.

Presentation of the graphic work developed during a collaborative art and science project that explores the intersection of scientific and artistic approaches to understanding and representing reality, particularly through printmaking. Two PhD students—one in art and the other in tropical ecology—worked together to analyze and visually represent tropical tree seedlings affected by drought in French Guyana, combining scientific and artistic techniques.

The article presents the project “Libro en blanco: Espacios liminales de la gráfica contemporánea” [Boob in white: Liminal spaces of contemporary graphics] as a tool for creative education through the artist book. The project, developed by the Dx5 Digital and Graphic art_research, explores the evolving principles of contemporary graphics by examining liminal, often overlooked spaces through a combination of artistic, theoretical, and technical research. Using the artist’s book format, the projects aims to interconnect traditional graphic techniques with modern innovations. The resulting limited-edition book aims to broaden the understanding of contemporary graphic art and promote its use as an educational tool in fields like Fine Arts and graphic design.

This paper addresses the current global crises—economic, environmental, social, political, and cultural—by advocating for transitions from destructive to regenerative systems. It explores how art and design can create regenerative futures through context-specific practices, emphasizing fieldwork and deep interaction with local environments. The paper focuses on two master-level courses that engage students in addressing global challenges through locally rooted art and design methods, aiming to develop an educational system that is locally grounded but globally connected, fostering skills to tackle complex global issues through creative solutions.

The “Libro en blanco” [Book in white] is an artist book part of the project “Blanco sobre blanco” [White on white] developed and edited by the Dx5 digital and graphic art_research. This book puts together the view of different members and collaborators of the dx5 group, versing around the basis of the graphic work. Structured following a rhizomatic structure of interconnectivity of processes and concepts of the graphic medium, the artwork is presented with white color as main storyline. From the idea of white as origin and possibility, we searched to address the complexity of graphic art and its contemporaneous ways from each own particular perspective.

Published artwork part of a risographic experimental only-in-paper publication promoted by the University of Vigo, Spain. Parametherized imprints of a leaf, printed in green and pink. Recreation of a interconnected map of veins and lines inside a plant’s leaf captured through scientifical processes.

This study reflects on the conscious practice of graphic art by proposing the use of vegetal waste from exotic-invasive species for decentralized paper production. It investigates the technical properties and applicability of these materials in artistic printing. A theoretical-practical approach is employed, emphasizing the potential of microscopic imagery. The study focuses on analyzing three invasive alien species (IAS) whose waste is used as a cellulose source, collected from the riparian forest of the Umia River, Pontevedra. The paper supports were subjected to three graphic tests: laser cutting, woodblock printing, and photogravure. The visual and technical results help to understand their physical-mechanical characteristics and suitability for creating artistic images.

More information included in Grafica Sympossium Proceedings 2023

In this short paper, Boisseaux and Iglesias describe their Art and Science Research Journey in French Guayana around the Amazonian Rainforest. Through the collaboration of art and tropical ecology, both researchers concluded the possibility of interrelate methods and languages of both disciplines, to address selected trees species in a more rounded way. From this aim, they focused on 8 main “codes of approximation to reality” (following Kosuth paths) that allow us to confront each species from a multiperspective.

More information in the project “The multidimensionnality of the plant”.

The study explores the potential use of four invasive plant species (Arundo donax, Phytolacca americana, Eucalyptus globulus, and Tradescantia fluminensis) from the riparian forest of the Umia River in Galicia, Spain, as alternative sources of pulp for the paper industry. These species were processed using kraft pulping to extract cellulosic fibers from leaves, bark, and stems. The fibers were analyzed chemically, mechanically, and morphologically, and compared to commercial Eucalyptus pulp. The results suggest that these invasive species show promise for artistic paper production, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional monoculture-based paper materials. The research highlights the environmental benefits of using invasive species for decentralized paper manufacturing.

The study focuses on the problem of alien invasive species (AIS) in the Umia River riparian forest in Galicia. Selected possess significant antioxidant properties, making their leaves and bark suitable for pharmaceutical and industrial reutilization and applications. To find the most effective method for extracting antioxidants (anthocyanins and total phenols), the researchers compared four solid-liquid extraction techniques: Soxhlet extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, thermal agitation, and infusion, using water as a sustainable solvent. Soxhlet extraction yielded the highest results overall, with Tradescantia fluminensis (41.89%) and Eucalyptus globulus leaves (39.35%) showing the best yields. The ultrasonic method also performed well, particularly with Eucalyptus leaves (27.07%), while Tradescantia fluminensis was most efficient with thermal agitation (35.07%). After extraction, the study quantified the total phenolic compounds and anthocyanins using spectrophotometric methods. The thermal agitation method produced the best extraction yields correlated with antioxidant content, with Eucalyptus globulus leaves identified as the richest in anthocyanins (6.18 ± 0.82 mg CC/g) and total phenols (172.40 ± 44.53 mg GAE/g). Overall, the findings suggest that the residues of these non-native species could serve as valuable sources of antioxidants, promoting circular economy practices and supporting biodiversity conservation efforts.

Conference and Paper presented at Cumulus Connectivity and Creativity in Times of Conflict in Belgium, 2023. This study encompass the work methodology developed during a site-specific research-stay in LUCA School of Arts, working along with the Invasive Alien Species Fallopia japonica. From this starting point, the research address the potential of ephemeral materials for art-design products, enhancing its communicative capacities.

Poster presentation and publication in Cumulus Connectivity and Creativity in Times of Conflict conference. Based on the Krebs Cycle of Creativity elaborated by Neri Oxman – based at the same time at the Krebs cycle of breathing of cells – the poster diagram aims to visualize all embedded concepts, disciplines, approaches and conditions needed to develop a “material based research with invasive alien species waste”. The perspective of the research approach looks for the consideration of ‘scientific research’ as a procedural piece of art.

Medicinal plants are very important in sustainable economic development, in the pharmaceutical industry and in promoting the conservation of biodiversity. The main objective of this work was to obtain extracts and hydrolytes of flowers, leaves and bark of Sambucus nigra, and analyse their possible uses. Two sampling areas in a field were chosen, and collection was carried out at different times, according to the selected parts of the plant. Two techniques were chosen, steam distillation and ethanol and glycerol extraction. The hydrolytes of the different parts of Sambucus nigra can be used in therapeutic applications due to their pH. Distillations of the stems and leaves gave no indication of essential oil, at least with the quantities used. Therefore, the highest percentage of essential oil was found in the flowers. Ethanol was a better extraction solvent than glycerine, with yields of 99% and 90%, respectively. Flower extracts prepared with ethanol showed a total phenolic content of 59.3 ± 2 mg gallic acid equivalent/g and a total flavonoid content of 16.2 ± 0.2 mg quercetin equivalent/g. This research could contribute to the valorisation of this species giving a boost to its reuse from a circular economy perspective.

Proceedings of the poster presentation of the initial state of the PhD thesis research on biomaterials and matter from the galician environment applied to design and art.

Visual and textual experimental conversation for the artist only-print risographic publication edited by “Error es bien”. In this visual and graphical work we approach our-self to the critical situation of native people in French Guayana and its typical and almost disappeared crafts with natural materials.