Woodblock printing combines painting, carving, and printing, using water and ink to reproduce the expressive brushwork and tonal variations of traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy. The earliest surviving example of Chinese woodblock printing with a documented date can be traced back more than a thousand years.
In woodblock printing, the grain of the wood guides the movement of the carving knife, while the paper and moisture shape how the ink is absorbed and rendered. The artist must constantly observe, adjust, respond, and adapt. The final work is therefore not simply the realization of a pre-set idea, but the outcome of an ongoing process of mutual influence and collaboration between the artist and the materials – wood, paper, water, and ink.
For the first creative workshop of Planetary Embassy China, we will explore the relationship between people and materials through this traditional craft, examining how the physical properties of wood influence the creative process. Participants will observe the grain and structure of the wood and adapt their carving and printing techniques accordingly. Rather than working toward a predetermined outcome, the process allows the characteristics of the material to inform and shape the final work, creating room for unexpected results.
On September 2, at Swissnex in China, we will begin with a simple question: Can a material become a creative partner?
Through a reinterpretation of woodblock printing, we will engage in an experiment of co-creation between humans, nature, and materials.
The workshop invites print artist Dr. Xiaoqiao Li, Assistant Professor in the Department of Creative Arts at the School of Humanities and Social Science, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, to share his experience in printmaking and his thoughts on the relationship between technology, printmaking, and materiality. Drawing on the concept of “recursivity,” Dr. Li will explore the intersection of land, technology, and time through the interaction between digital technologies and organic materials such as wood, examining how these elements collectively shape the creative process.
Participants will then be guided to create their own woodblock prints. By observing and feeling the texture of the woodblock, they will explore how different levels of humidity, carving techniques, and printing methods affect the final result, and see how the woodblock subtly changes the appearance of the work with each cut and each print. Over the course of the process, wood becomes more than simply a material to be used: its distinctive grain and structure influence the work, introducing variations that the artist must observe and respond to.
In early July this year, Swissnex in China invited the public to propose a Chinese name for the Planetary Embassy, receiving more than a hundred creative suggestions. This workshop will continue that naming experiment. Participants will draw inspiration from the names submitted by the public and, based on their own understanding of the project, transform the ideas and imagination behind these words into a visual language through woodblock printing.
The resulting works will come together as a collective creation, to be presented on October 29 at the opening of the Planetary Embassy art-science exhibition in Hangzhou, alongside all the Chinese names submitted during the public call.
Every name is the beginning of a dialogue.
Every act of creation is a process in which people and materials respond to one another and shape the outcome together.
17:30-18:00 – Registration
18:00–18:15 – Guest Talk: Recursive Landscapes — Negotiating Coexistence Between Technology and Materiality
18:15–19:20 – Woodblock Printing Workshop
19:20-19:30 – Networking
Bio
Xiaoqiao Li’s practice focuses on the intersection of the analogue and the digital, with a particular emphasis on the digital printing matrix. Through practice-led research, he explores how printmaking can deepen our understanding of the ways information in digital images is captured, retained, lost and transmitted. He holds an MA in Printmaking from Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts London, and a PhD in Visual Arts from Hong Kong Baptist University. His works and writings have featured in international exhibitions and in journals such as Leonardo, and he is a recipient of the Clifford Chance Purchase Prize. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Creative Arts and an Associate Programme Leader of the MA in Creative Writing at Hong Kong Metropolitan University.
The Planetary Embassy China is our flagship initiative for 2026: a pop-up part cultural festival, part intellectual salon, part lively café, where we prototype what we call planetary diplomacy. We ask bold, practical questions like: What if a tree could join climate negotiations? What if rivers, glaciers, or forests had their own delegates? What if international agreements had to be approved not only by nations, but by the ecosystems they affect?
