Untitled

Chengchingyu

Interview by L. Valena

Can you describe to me what you responded to?

The music was very calm, and super peaceful. I imagined a landscape, something like the ocean- blueish stuff. Something like that.

When you first started thinking about translating that into visual work, how did that process happen?

In the beginning, I wanted to do something like architectural sculpture, but I couldn't manage to do such big scale work. So I thought maybe I could make something more small-scale. I tried to make some space, or sculpture, which made me come back to the feeling I had when I heard this music.

Those feelings of calm and of the ocean?

Yes.

Tell me about the color blue, and what it means to you.

It's ocean, it's water, so it's blue. It's pretty simple!

What did you use to make these?

It was kind of a super light clay. In the beginning I was looking for a more typical kind of clay- something like Play-Doh, but I couldn't find any at the shops I went to. But I found this substitute, but I think it's for kids, and it's super popular- it's a cool new material!

Why was Play-Doh the thing you were looking for?

It's more solid, but this stuff was super light- it's a bit strange. I had never used it before. Clay is easy to meld into shape, and it's playful stuff. I imagined I could use clay to ease my stress- the process is always kind of a therapy.

I notice that there's also wire in the work.

It's like a ladder for the swimming pool! Water and ladder.

Is swimming something you do often?

Yes, swimming is a big part of my life. I swim super regularly- at least three times a week.

I don't even really know what the climate is like in Portugal- is it an indoor pool that you swim in, or outside?

It's indoor, but there is a roof, and in the summer it can be opened.

That sounds incredible! You study architecture? Or landscape architecture?

Yes, architecture.

And do you think about these little forms as being connected to the rest of your work?

Yes, I think so. I do a lot of different kinds of art works. Sometimes very big, sometimes very small.

I love seeing small work out of context, because it could kind of be any size. I love imagining it as something very large. If you were to model these as something larger, where would they go? What space would they be in?

If I could imagine these as a larger scale, it would really be more like a public artwork. An installation, where people could walk into it- or like in a clean, empty space.

How was this process for you? Stressful? Relaxing?

Both. It was relaxing in the end because I did smaller work, but also I only got one clue, and I had to follow that clue. It's fun to have a rule. In the beginning it was very difficult for me, but in the end it was very interesting. It's a different way to make artwork.

It will be cool to see how someone else responds to your work!

Yes, now I'm even more excited!

Call Number: Y7MU | Y11VA.cheUnti

chengchingyu is a Porto-based ghost, 

wandering in Portugal, born in Taiwan.

not yet an architect; not yet an artist.