Installation view, 2023, Hyundai Motor Studio Beijing, 8k video with sound, 3d-printed resin sculptures, sand. This work is origginally commissioned by Hyundai Blue Prize Art + Tech 2023 exhibition “Metamorphic Ecosphere” curated by Xiao Zong, showing at Hyundai Motor Studio Beijing, November 4, 2023–March 31, 2024.







Installation view, 2024, Pulse of the Hinterland: The 4th Xinjiang International Art Biennale 2024 - Xinjiang Art Museum, Urumqi (2024.7.25 - 10.15). 


Begin with the End of What Comes Before
2023
8k video, 8 minutes 45 seconds, resin sculpture, dimensions variable


This work contemplates the deep transmutation between biologic and geologic matters through planetary evolution and human activities. It begins with the biological evolution driven by the desire for phosphorus in the oceans during the Cambrian period, and continues with mining, extraction, and disposal of phosphorus in the modern era. The circulation of phosphorus between organismal and planetary bodies undergoes constant transformation in its forms and mutually shapes lives. From the sedimentary petrified remains to the toxic residues of industrial waste, the once free elements in the primordial seas permeate the expanding realm of matter. Merging microscopic imaging, AI generated and hand modeled digital animation, the scenes render the deep in-between metamorphosis of the inorganic element from primordial broth to coexistence across species and intelligence.

This work is commissioned by Hyundai Blue Prize Art + Tech 2023 exhibition “Metamorphic Ecosphere” curated by Xiao Zong, showing at Hyundai Motor Studio Beijing, November 4, 2023–March 31, 2024.


Collaboration & Credit:
Music: Oxi Peng
CG Animation: AJ Sapala
CG Assistant: Yuxin Ding
© Shuyi Cao 2024