XINYAN
Xinyan XU is a visual artist and spatial designer based in Ningbo and Shanghai. She is currently a research resident at NYU Tisch’s Interactive Media Arts LowRes.

Her artistic focus is on supermodernity, contemporary culture, and metropolitan experiences. She uses spaces, places, and computational techniques to create visuals, spatial experiences, soundwalks, and art installations.
创作者及设计师，现居于宁波和上海。目前是纽约大学帝势艺术学院互动媒体艺术的驻留研究者。她通过空间、地点及数媒来体现城市超现代化下的人际关系、都市体验和网络文化。


Spatial works at naynix_dot_com
Contact xinyan at xuxinyan_at_yahoo_dot_com
ON THE GROUND OF BERLIN ｜ 在柏林的土地上



Installation
Soil Tasting Ceremony
Soil Tie Dye

Immersing myself in the winter of Berlin in 2024 for two weeks, I wandered through the ever-changing nature of the city, the quiet plantation beds of the urban landscape, and the lines in front of techno bars. I tried to connect myself with Berlin, but my body seemed to reject my willingness to blend in by playing the travel tummy warning card. The stomach cramps were a combat between the microbiomes I carried natively from my hometown and the new microbiomes I had been exposed to. In Chinese, travel tummy is called '水土不服'—unaccustomed to the local water and soil.

As a home remedy for travel tummy, my grandmother always requests that I carry a bag of cooked soil from her garden in my luggage whenever I travel abroad. She advises that during the initial days of an upset stomach, I should mix a tablespoon of this soil with hot water to alleviate the travel tummy. My grandmother believes that consuming the soil can help rebalance gut microbiomes. 

While I never dare to risk ingesting unknown minerals and microbes, I do believe in the magic of soils, as people worldwide have historically turned to soil consumption both physically and spiritually. The gestures of returning to the essence of nature show the intimate relationship between our bodies and the land we consume.


TO CONNECT MYSELF WITH BERLIN,
I SYMBOLIZED INTERNAL SOIL CONSUMPTION THROUGH TEA CEREMONIES,
EXTERNAL SOIL CONNECTION THROUGH PRODUCING WEARABLE TIE-DYE FABRICS.


I started to collect soil from various locations across the city over two weeks. I uncovered soils that witnessed history and narrated tales of social changes from urban plantations, frozen snows, and construction covers.These practices are not only my way to connect my body with Berlin but also to celebrate soil as a living history book and a foundational element for the city's future growth.






Soil samples are collected from five selected locations in Berlin



Schrebergärten. During the World Wars, Schrebergärten became crucial for families to grow food and survive. Post-war, these gardens continued to serve as a valuable resource for urban residents, evolving into popular destinations for weekend and summer relaxation and leisure activities.
 Mauerpark tells a story of transformation from an industrial and militarized past to a vibrant, communal green space. It reflects the physical and historical changes that have occurred in Berlin, particularly the reunification and the city's evolving urban landscape.
 Tempelhof Airport's function over time, from a commercial airport to a military base, and now a recreational area, has influenced the soil composition and usage of this area. Each era in its history has added layers to its narrative, making Tempelhof a very unique site.
 Urban Sidewalk Planting Strips have significantly changed during post-war construction. These changes included the removal of rubble and the planting of new trees and vegetation, which altered the composition and use of the soil in these areas.
 Luvos Healing Earth (glacial loess originating from Germany) can be found in various local drugstores in Berlin, reaffirming the somewhat magical connection between soil and our bodies. Just as my grandma believes in the soil from her garden, locals believe that the glacial loess helps cure many stomach problems.







Show at Weise7 Studio, Neukölln, Berlin


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