# From Biodeterioration to Creativity: Bioreceptivity of Spruce Pine 87 Glass Batch by Fungi
###### Abstract
However, within these genera there is not a species that occurs more than twice on glass (see Table S1 from [PERSON] et al. [1]). Thus, most of the literature in glass biodeterioration refers to fungi genera. Some of the authors studying glass biodeterioration (e.g., [PERSON] et al. [7]) inoculated glass samples with a spore suspension of four distinct fungal species in sterile 0.05% Tween 80 (Panreac) to simulate a real biofilm and a primary bioreceptivity, but the species with major biodeterioration potential could not be identified. Other authors did their biodeterioration experiment by inoculating some fungi with a small amount of culture media, thus simulating secondary bioreceptivity. For instance, [PERSON] et al. [4] used _Penicillium_ sp. and _Cladosporium_ sp., with a small amount of PDA (Potato Dextrose Agar) on their glass biodeterioration experiment. In this study, large quantities of crystalline substances and prints on the surfaces are attributed to the presence of both fungi, and took place after only 2.5 months of incubation. However, since the effect of _Penicillium_ sp. alone could not be separated from the one of _Cladosporium_ sp., the bioreceptivity of the glass surfaces to each of the species was out of reach in both studies. In several studies regarding glass biodeterioration by fungi, historical glass (i.e., with more than 100 years) like stained glass windows is usually the main concern [3; 4; 7; 10], as none of these studies relate to contemporary glass art. Therefore, on the one hand, the genera that will be used in this experiment were isolated from stained glass windows. On the other hand, since the SPB-87 glass was a newly developed batch-composition related to the Studio Glass Movement event, it was the natural choice for the present study. It is important to contextualise its origins to understand the relevance of the selected substrate. In 1962, [PERSON] (the scientist) and [PERSON] (the artist) brought into the artistic community the use of glass as a medium for expression. [PERSON] and [PERSON] disseminated the technical knowledge and the glassblowing techniques to work in a portable furnace, and to produce a low melting-point glass, using the batch originally supplied by [PERSON]. The American Studio Glass Movement took a kick-start with the newly acquired technical skills, and the glass artist as a maker and designer was thus highlighted [11; 12]. One year later, at the University of Wisconsin, [PERSON] established a pioneering glass program in the United States of America. This program attracted student artists that would later be iconic figures, namely [PERSON] and [PERSON] [13]. The name of the Spruce Pine batch comes from the analogous named town in Wisconsin,to where [PERSON] moved after retiring from teaching in 1977. There, as an independent artist, he continued his work and founded the Spruce Pine Batch Company in 1988, which up to the present uses the low melting-point soda-time glass formula created by [PERSON]. Due to the latter, artists were no longer dependent on factories to manufacture glass artworks, since they possessed this specifically-created formula for use in studio glass creations. This is why glass artists worldwide still use the SPB-87 medium in their artworks today. As aforementioned, the SPB-87 glass is a soda-time glass. Regarding the biodeterioration of the soda-time type, this subject was previously studied in detail solely by two authors: [PERSON] et al. [14] and [PERSON] et al. [15]. The latter performed biodeterioration experiments using _Aspergillus niger_ and _Cladosporium_ sp., resulting in the observation acidic glass surfaces' (pH from 4.5 to 1.7 for the _Aspergillus_) in few days of leaching, besides a strongly anchored fungal mycelium on the glass surface [15]. In turn, [PERSON] et al. [14] performed their biodeterioration experiments on glass using _Penicillium notatum_. The results reported in that study exhibited a friable reaction layer at a few isolated spots and hyphae fingerprints on soda-time glass [14].