“Soil remembers the temperature, humidity, and how you treat it. Even though we may damage the earth before, we could still take actions to repair and help to heal the earth”
— Qiu Yangzi

"Soil Remembers" (2023) is a 0.97 * 10 meter soil chromatography camera-less photography scroll on handmade paper accompanied by two gold leaf-gilded frames from the Art Nouveau period. Blending chance with artistic control, the work unveils the uniqueness and inherent uncertainty of the natural world. Created using soil gathered from where I was born, where I have lived, and where I live now, Shantou, Hong Kong, and London, this scroll forms a blended visual story of my personal journey. Following its exhibition in 2024, the original scroll was sadly lost in transit and never recovered.

In 2026, collaborate with three musicians Wan Xing on Guzheng, Gregor Black on percussion, and Eleanor Dunsdon on level harp in "Sound Strokes", I created a new iteration of "Soil Remembers" (2026): three 0.97 * 10 meter soil chromatography scrolls on handmade paper. These works incorporate soil gathered from Glasgow, Edinburgh, London, and Hong Kong, the places where the three collaborating musicians and I are based. One of the scrolls was created specifically as a stage backdrop for the Sound Strokes performances at the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, rewarded as five stars in the Wee Review, Scottish Field and highly recommended show in Fringe Review.

Drawing inspiration from ancient texts from cultures globally, "Soil Remembers" articulates the sacred dialogue between history and the earth itself.

1) Hesiod's Works and Days, Around 700 BCE, Greece, "When Zeus had born nine daughters, all of one mind, whose hearts are set upon song and their spirit free from care, a little way from them the Olympian gods made a place where they should dwell and live, and made them dwell near the famous stream of Oceanus."

2) The Vedas, Around 1500–500 BCE, India, "Earth, our Mother, set us down in many places, the sea, the forests, and the open country; there may we dwell, with our kith and kin, all around us."

3) Virgil's Georgics, 29 BCE, Rome (Ancient Roman Empire), "Happy the man who first could tell the names of ploughshares, and showed how lands might be held by fixed boundaries."

4) Classic of Agriculture, During the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), China, "A farmer should dig the soil at the proper time; when it is pliable and suitable for planting."

5) Book of Nabathaeans, Unknown (Ancient Arabic Text), Arabic Region (Ancient), "The land was level and planted with all sorts of fruit, both useful and sweet-smelling."

6) Ipuwer Papyrus, Around 13th century BCE, Egypt, "Forsooth, the land turns around like a potter's wheel."

These texts encapsulate ancient wisdom, insights, and reflections on agriculture and soil from diverse cultures and historical periods.
Soil chromatography is a slow reacting photographic process for assessing soil health initially developed by Russian botanist Mikhail Tsvet. It indicates the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of the earth. Utilised by farmers, this method provides an overview of each soil’s vitality and health by analysis its hues, patterns, and textures.

"Soil Remembers" stands as a testament to the earth's resilience, holding memories of time and tide. As viewers contemplate this series, they are urged to reflect on their connection to the earth and the wisdom it holds within its depths.



Press Review Details:

★★★★★ The Wee Reviews of Sound Strokes 2026
"Adding to the atmosphere is the meaningful backdrop behind the stage, a ten-metre artwork by Qiu Yangzi that visually represents the cultural connection. Using gold leaf and earth from London, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Hong Kong, the scroll literally blends the ground on which the cultures represented in the performance were built."
https://theweereview.com/review/sound-strokes-a-harmonious-blend-of-chinese-and-scottish-music/

★★★★★ Scottish Field of Sound Strokes 2026
"The trio would take us on a elemental journey beginning in Earth with visual artist Qiu Yangzi’s geologic inspired artwork ‘Soil Remembers’ commissioned as their backdrop and a reminder of our relationship and responsibility to the earth."
https://www.scottishfield.co.uk/culture/edinburgh-fringe-reviews-music-dance-theatre/

Highly Recommended Show Fringe Review of Sound Strokes 2026
"Soil Remembers, the artwork draped behind the performers, is a ten-metre scroll of camera-less photography exposing the earth to the sun. Created by Qiu Yangzi, bodhrán player Gregor Black says it represents that “no matter how much we mistreat the earth, we can always repair it”. This awareness of history and practical hopefulness for repair sets the tone for the work. They take us back to basics, back to the elements, to traditional songs made new. They show us connection and how to rebuild, how to make something new and old at the same time."
https://fringereview.co.uk/review/edinburgh-fringe/2026/sound-strokes/