The ancient site of Delphi, where ancient Greeks would receive divine advice at its famed oracle, will host a high-tech, AI-driven art installation that seeks to revive those ancient energies while paying tribute to prophecy and knowledge.
The large-scale, site-specific installation by pioneering digital and multimedia artist Charles Sandison titled “The Garden of Pythia,” will open on April 13 around the Delphi Economic Forum, which will be hosted in Delphi from April 9 to 12. It is commissioned and funded by the Greek cultural organization Poygreen Culture and Art Initiative (PCAI) Sandison’s immersive artwork bridges the past and the future.
Integrated into the sites natural surroundings and inspired by the famed oracle of Delphi and Pythia, the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo, the high-tech artwork blends historical imagery like Delphic statues, monuments and inscriptions with data drawn from the local geology, flora and fauna, using advanced technology.
“I have coded this artificial intelligent artwork, which combines memories of the Pythia to the beautiful slopes of Mount Parnassus in the form of generative data projections that evolve in response to its environment,” Sandison said in a statement. His algorithm-driven projections shift in real time, reacting to variations in light and temperature, thanks to custom code and sensors. AI is used not only to revive the site’s ancient past but also to project its layers through natural phenomena, creating a dynamic, evolving environment.
During his visit to the archaeological site, Sandison drew parallels between the ancient oracle and modern artificial intelligence.
“I hope visitors will see this artwork as a way to bridge the ancient and the modern and understand the answers we seek from AI are the same as we asked from Pythia,” Sandison added.
Athanasios Polychronopoulos, CEO and founder of PCAI said that “The project honors Delphi’s legacy while aligning with our environmental mission. Its unveiling at the Forum reflects our shared commitment to art, nature and innovation.”
Sound artist Kostadis Michail created an original audio installation to complement the visual work, further immersing visitors in this hybrid realm of myth and technology.
For the project, PCAI renovated the former Pikionis pavillion, a historic structure in the Delphi archaeological site. It is now renamed the Global Center for Circular Economy and Culture, or pi, and will become a venue for a series of site-specific commissions operating at the intersection of new media art and environmental awareness.
The oracle at ancient Delphi, where the AI-driven art installation is set to be unveiled
The oracles, especially the ones of Delphi, were quite important in Ancient Greece, as consultation of the gods was one of the cornerstones of Greek religion. Regardless of what made the Pythia utter the oracle, no matter how ambiguous, there have been some accurate advice or “prophecies” that actually shaped life in Ancient Greece.
Ancient Greeks believed that communication with the gods would grant them divine wisdom, and oracles provided sacred advice on how to proceed with a problem or petition.
For such divine wisdom, Greeks were eager to offer precious gifts to the competent deity. Apollo was the god of prophecies, and the offerings were usually for him.
The Oracle at Delphi was the most famous in Ancient Greece. It was the place were ancient Greeks would receive divine advice rather than prophecies.
Usually, no major decisions were made, no ventures of any kind were undertaken, and no wars were declared if the interested parties had not consulted the oracle first.
Visitors would turn to the Pythia, the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi who served as its oracle. Pythia derives its name from either the Greek word “pynthanomai,” which means “to be informed,” or from “Python,” a mythical dragon or serpent of the area, slain by the Greek god Apollo.
Pythia was the conduit, transferring the words from god to mortal. Visitors would ask a specific question and the Pythia would answer, sometimes in the form of a riddle or line of verse. There have been many theories on what caused the Pythia to come to a state of ecstasy and deliver the oracle.
The most common is that the oracular powers appeared to be associated with vapors from the Kerna spring waters that flowed under the temple. It has often been suggested that these vapors may have been hallucinogenic gases.
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