Spotlight: China Blue

When next visiting the Eiffel Tower, listen carefully to the sounds of Gustave Eiffel’s architectural wonder: its ambient acoustics and vibrations—the intrinsic reverberating sounds of its 2,500,000 rivets and 18,038 pieces of steel (weighing a total of 7,300 tons).

That’s exactly what CCA alumna China Blue (a.k.a. Maureen Wong) did before she decided to sample these unique sounds on her forthcoming CD of rhythm, ambient, pop, and structural pieces, Under Voices: Les Voix de la Tour Eiffel.

With authorization to access the historic Parisian monument, China Blue recorded not only its exclusive auditory offerings—the result of architectural and engineering components—but also environmental factors within the framework, as well as the sonic environment created by the 30,000 daily visitors.

In her work China Blue pursues the intersection of sound and architecture to deliver a poetic view on the significance of sound, captivating viewers and listeners alike. She has exhibited internationally in galleries and nonprofit spaces that include Finland, Sweden, France, Australia (Melbourne International Arts Festival), and the United States (including The Armory Show in New York). Reviews include the New York Times, Art in America, ArtForum, artCritical.com, and NY Arts, and she was the featured artist for the 2006 annual meeting of the Acoustical Society of America.

The daughter of a ceramicist and a stained-glass artist, China Blue admits her strongest influences were her parents and their artist friends. At eight years old she went to weekend art school at an Oakland community art education center run by the master of expressive ceramics, the late Peter Voulkos, with his wife, Peggy. “The environment working there was really stimulating, especially the ceramic center,” recalls the artist.

The level of curiosity and experimentation at CCA also played a pivotal role in developing China Blue’s process as an artist, including strong encouragement to experiment with lots of materials—the later of which led her to sound, a motivating vehicle for personal expression.

Among her most inspiring CCA instructors: Joe Girard (Sculpture) and current faculty chair Mary Snowden (Painting/Drawing). “My memory of Mary is so strong because she is a very compassionate, patient, and inspiring teacher, and with Joe, I have great memories discussing the possibilities of what art is while we worked on shaping metal.” She also completed an MFA in combined media from Hunter College in New York.

China Blue perceives sound in a three-dimensional manner: “The definition of sound is energy made physical, and it’s a material that feels and fills space. Each space definitely affects the sound—the nature of the walls and floors, and the shape of the space and position of the speakers really define the way sound fills a room. Sounds affect emotional feelings in the viewer; it’s the primary essence of material.”

Mikey vs. Fabio (mixed-media sound installation, 2004), reviewed in ArtForum, is a recording of a Ping-Pong match during which speakers on either ends of the room mimic the players’ location. “The sound track is panned so that the movement of the ball will pan from one side of the room to the other and each wall will then become the location of the paddle. The audience, when standing in the middle of the room, will hear the ball whizzing over head.”

Other noteworthy works include The Secret Arch (interactive installation, 2007), which is based on an architectural feature located within Grand Central Station, and The Calls, a sound piece ode to the World Trade Center.

“Sound is the vibration of the world,” she explains.

Born in Berkeley, CA

CCA degree:
BFA 1992, Painting

Residence:
outside Providence, RI

Current occupation:
Artist

Influences at CCA:
Joe Girard, Mary Snowden

Website:
www.chinablueart.com