Yingying Qiu’s Acquainted with the Night collection, showcased at AUTOR 2025, invites wearers into a 
contemplative dialogue with time, identity, and the fragile beauty of existence. Inspired by Robert Frost’s evocative poem, her work transforms silver, pearls, and deep blue glazed ceramics into poetic vessels of memory and transformation. With a practice rooted in intimacy and narrative, Yingying’s jewelry explores the in-between spaces of home and self, resonating deeply with AUTOR’s ethos of emotional connection and artistic experimentation. In this interview, she shares the inspirations behind her collection, her creative journey, and her reflections on engaging with the vibrant Eastern European contemporary jewelry scene. Follow her ongoing exploration of fragility and transformation on Instagram (@yingyingqiu_).
How did your journey into the world of contemporary jewelry begin, and what drew you to this form of artistic expression?
My practice began with an obsession with objects as vessels of memory. I am drawn to the quiet intimacy between object and body—jewelry, in its scale and proximity, offers a poetic site for exploring presence, attachment, and transformation.
How would you describe your personal style in jewelry design, and what are your preferred materials or techniques?
My practice is intimate and narratively driven, exploring impermanence, transformation, and the poetics of fragility. I primarily work with silver for its clarity and malleability, alongside organic elements like fungus and pearls, which embody tension between delicacy and endurance. Informed by literature, painting, and philosophy, my pieces translate conceptual nuance into wearable structures through considered craftsmanship and precise stone setting. They inhabit a mutable spectrum—between light and shadow, permanence and transience—celebrating states of flux through material, gesture, and form.
Is there a recurring theme or narrative thread that connects your collections so far?
Yes, my work often explores the idea of home, identity, and transformation. I’m interested in the feeling of being in-between—moving, searching, and shifting—and how jewelry can express love, connection, and the complexity of individual experience.
What is the story behind the collection you brought to AUTOR 2025?
Acquainted with the Night was inspired by Robert Frost’s poem of the same name. The collection embodies the delicate interplay between time, space, and the fragility of human existence. It explores the nuances of solitude, 
introspection, and the shifting nature of identity—inviting the wearer into a quiet, contemplative space.
A central motif is a silver line that outlines the shape of a house, evoking ideas of home and belonging. Yet this line subtly distorts the figure of the wearer, symbolizing how identity is not fixed but fluid—shaped by internal emotions and external shifts. Deep blue glazed ceramic captures the changing light of the moon, while the movable structures of the pieces—designed to rotate and shift—mirror the quiet rhythms of orbit and time. Fragmented mirrors embedded in the pieces encourage self-reflection, serving as metaphors for inner transformation and emotional complexity.
Alongside the larger sculptural works, I created a series of smaller, wearable brooches specifically for AUTOR 2025, designed to foster personal interaction and daily resonance. These retained the architectural contours of the house, while pearls set along elegant arcs evoked both moonlight and raindrops—ephemeral, radiant, and quietly alive.
Each piece became more than adornment—it acted as a contemplative companion, allowing the wearer to engage in a personal journey of change, vulnerability, and quiet strength. Through this interaction, the work became an intimate dialogue between body, memory, and time.
What did being selected for an international event like AUTOR 2025 mean to you, and how do you relate to the contemporary jewelry scene in Eastern Europe?
As AUTOR beautifully puts it—“I love jewelry, and jewelry loves me”—this resonates deeply with me. It describes a moving and mutual relationship, one filled with emotion, care, and expression.
Being selected for AUTOR 2025 was a significant milestone. It was not only a recognition of my work but also an opportunity to connect with a vibrant community of artists, each with their own language, materials, and dedication. Engaging with the Eastern European scene, which is rich in experimentation, material exploration, and sincerity, was truly inspiring. I was moved by the fluid, passionate ways in which artists communicate through their work and how those conversations extend to the wearer.
How does your culture, personal background, or geographical context influence your creations?
My background in fashion design laid the foundation for my understanding of wearability, material behavior, and visual language. Transitioning into jewelry allowed me to explore these elements on a more intimate scale.
Growing up in Asia and later studying and working in London and Europe has shaped my sensitivity to both emotional symbolism and conceptual experimentation. These cultural contrasts inform my ongoing interest in identity, transformation, and the role of objects in personal expression.
What do you hope the audience feels or understands when they engage with your work?
I hope they feel seen. I hope they recognize something of themselves—perhaps a quiet strength, a memory, a sense of love or self-acceptance, or a question they carry. Ultimately, the experience is open.
Have there been any key moments in your career that significantly shifted your artistic direction? If 
so, what were they?
The shift came when I realized that the act of making was a form of dialogue—with the unknown, with silence, with presence. That awareness has since guided every decision I make in my work.
How do you see contemporary jewelry evolving in today’s context, and what role do sustainability or innovation play in your work?
I believe contemporary jewelry is becoming more introspective and personal, emphasizing not only visual form but also emotional connection, material responsibility, and bodily presence.
As I mentioned before, every material and every inch of skin it touches deserves care and intentionality—each element is worth being delicately “set,” both physically and conceptually. For me, sustainability means respecting the full potential of materials and ensuring that nothing is wasted, emotionally or physically. Innovation comes from rethinking not only techniques but also how jewelry interacts with identity, time, and the wearer.
What’s next for you after AUTOR 2025? Are there any new projects, exhibitions, or collaborations on the horizon?
Following AUTOR 2025, I have been presenting work across several international platforms, including the London Design Festival (LDF), the group exhibition OOO at Alsolike Gallery in London, Romanian Jewelry Week (ROJW), Milano Jewelry Week (MJW), Inflow 2025 in Hungary, and Dutch Design Week (DDW).
These projects, though varied in format and context, are tied together by my ongoing exploration of PRIMITIVE, FRAGILITY, IMPERMANENCE, TRANSFORMATION, and SYMBIOSIS. At the same time, I am developing the second collection of my eponymous brand YINGYINGQIU, which translates these themes into wearable jewelry—bringing an avant-garde aesthetic into the realm of everyday life.