Cao's new video work, Dash, is displayed on two screens inside the grain warehouse. Art critic Yang Beichen says: "In the work, humans and machines are gradually merging, forming a new relationship of 'co-thinking'."
Another of her pieces, The Birth, which explores the production of drones, is screened in the temple — almost as if drones are worshipped there. This idea was inspired by Southeast Asian farmers who revere these machines. In parts of China's Guangdong province, people traditionally carry statues of their gods through the streets to pray for blessings. However, in Cao's video, people carry drones in a similar ritual procession seeking a bountiful harvest.
Cao says the act of elevating drones to a sacred status reflects how, amid technological advancements, people transfer their emotions and connection to the land onto modern tools. What was once tied to traditional oxen and farming implements has now shifted to drones and autonomous vehicles.
"People are channeling their simple desire for a good harvest to technological tools. It's an intriguing blend of traditional beliefs and modern technology, and it shows how humanity forms emotional bonds with technology in new ways," she explains.
Ju Xi with Beijing Normal University agrees with such new relationship. Ju points out that technology does not necessarily destroy the relationship between humans and nature, but may also reconstruct it in a different way.
Cao's video works have long straddled the boundary between surrealism and documentary. Parts of her creations are rooted in real-life observations, while others emerge from artistic imagination and creative interpretation.
"My works have no scripts and no preset plans; they grow organically during the filming process," she says.
While filming on a cotton farm in Xinjiang, Cao felt the video lacked dramatic elements, such as extreme weather. Then, one day during shooting, the local meteorological department issued a windstorm alert. As luck would have it, they were on site when it happened, and the team captured footage of cotton plants being uprooted by gale-force winds.
