Cao Shu
Phantom Sugar
In Phantom Sugar, Cao Shu delves into the complexities of the human desire to predict and control the future, set against the backdrop of the once-prominent Shunde sugar factory in Guangdong, China. Built in 1935 and falling our of operation in the 1990s due to the volatile sugar trade, the factory now stands as a cultural heritage site and a hollowed vessel encapsulating the history and memories of those who had been a part of the factory’s ecosystem–both human and non-human.
Phantom Sugar combines shot footage with game engine rendering, guided by a drone’s perspective, to move through the factory’s layered history. The narrative weaves through space, employing a one-take technique in its spatial narrative, merging seemingly disparate stories and speculations linked by their association with the site. Drawing on historical records, such as that of ancient empires using sugar to guide movements of ants to predict or alter the course of the future, and interviews with former factory workers and local residents, the work reflects on sugar’s symbolic role in human’s need to make sense of the unknown. The roaming camera work, combined with the low whisperings of the narrator, enhance the haunting presences within the factory walls, while breathing renewed relevance to the site and its expansive connections. In doing so, Cao juxtaposes ancient practices with contemporary technologies like swarm algorithms and vertical farming. Through this exploration, Phantom Sugar reveals the intricate relationship between humans and their environments, underscored by a quest for control amidst the unpredictable.
Phantom Sugar amplifies Cao’s explorations into histories surrounding forgotten sites, such as in Infinity and Infinity Plus One (2020), and extends his ability to draw out poignant reflections from a singular point of origin. It is another strong example of Cao’s keen attunement to digital media and materials, capturing understandings of time-space as explored in video games in a moving image work and utilizing the in-between as a site for uncanny investigations to unfold.
Cao Shu’s works span three-dimensional digital moving images, sound installation, and interactive games. His works are often based on a specific place and space, and ask open-ended questions in hopes of reactivating historical events or personal memory on a perceptual level. In addition, he is also interested in the notions of misreading and dislocation based on different cultural and technological environments in history.