During her residency, Idoia Cuesta worked with Agrofloresta and Os Casares to create a multi-species permaculture habitat.
Dates
April 2024
Discipline
Design, craft, sustainability and permaculture
Type
Research and documentation for experimental and collaborative basketry.

In this residency, in search of new applications in other fields of artistic creation, Idoia Cuesta proposes a revision of the traditional use of wicker for basketry. She will carry out research in the area of San Cristovo de Mouricios and will study the possibilities of establishing a wicker plantation in this village.

To obtain this raw material, she will study the times and processes of selecting the shoots, the cutting of the sticks and their classification according to height, colour, etc.; she will also experiment with the timing for cooking, peeling and drying.

The research will focus on the species of the genus "Salix", both autochthonous and allochthonous, previously selected for their characteristics and properties to study their multiple applications in contemporary art, product or interior design, or architecture.

For this purpose, Vilaseco will have the collaboration of Os Casares and the technical service of the company Agrofloresta for soil analysis, hydrology, etc.

Idoia Cuesta

My work is based on the fusion of basketry with textiles and the versatility of the resulting piece through the combination of organic materials with different craft techniques. Throughout these decades I have learned and worked with professionals from very different backgrounds, cultures, experiences and knowledge that have opened my mind and given me new visions of art, design, architecture, fashion and contemporary craftsmanship. I strive for my pieces to have their own identity, based on the raw material and the possible uses (according to the needs and tastes of the person who acquires them). This allows me to create pieces with spirit, sensual, that arouse the desire to touch, smell, bite, even embrace.

I live and work in the countryside, in an area of Galicia that has been declared a Biosphere Reserve. The nature and landscape that surround me in my daily life, the forests, the river Miño with its island in the middle, the willows that I grow, the storks that weave their nests, .... not only inspire me, but also give me the opportunity to create sustainable pieces with organic shapes that transmit the nobility and warmth of the raw materials that I use.

Idoia Cuesta's residency was made possible with the support of Acción Cultural Española (AC/E):