hot pink trees and AI wisdom take over historic french château in ENESS’s exhibition

ENESS explores how ai redefines creativity in french Château

Against the storied backdrop of the Royal Château de Blois in France’s Loire Valley, art and technology studio ENESS presents Modern Guru and the Path to Artificial Happiness, an installation exhibition. Running until January 5th, the exhibition interrogates the future of humanity, environmental degradation, and artificial intelligence.

Modern Guru and the Path to Artificial Happiness unfolds across four distinct installations. Visitors encounter surreal scenes, including a hot pink forest of fallen trees, two mountainous acolytes chanting AI-generated messages, a towering yogi, and a labyrinth of blinking slugs representing the disorienting nature of the digital age. At the center of this journey, the Modern Guru—a futuristic AI figure—prints cryptic messages, sparking reflection on the evolving relationship between AI and human creativity.

all images by Nicolas Wietrich, courtesy of ENESS

the exhibition unfolds across four installations

The Château, a building with over ten centuries of history and home to seven kings and ten queens, becomes the setting for this thought-provoking intervention by Melbourne-based studio ENESS. Visitors are greeted at the grand entrance (Cour Côté) by a surreal forest of hot pink, denuded trees, a visual metaphor for the environmental toll of AI’s digital footprint. On the Terrasse du Foix, two glowing, mountainous acolytes chant mysterious messages generated by the titular Modern Guru, blending the mystical with the technological.

In the Gaston d’Orleans wing, a 10-meter-tall yogi stretches from balcony to floor, inviting visitors into a meditative journey. As individuals pass through its expansive arms, bell-like chimes acknowledge their presence, culminating in a flourish for every seventh visitor. The experience culminates in the Salle des Etats, where visitors navigate a labyrinth of bright, blinking slugs representing the disorientation of the digital age. At the heart of this maze, the Modern Guru—a fantastical AI figure—prints cryptic messages, drawing parallels between the invention of the printing press and the revolutionary potential of artificial intelligence to shape cultural narratives.

Modern Guru and the Path to Artificial Happiness unfolds across four distinct installations

visitors are greeted at the grand entrance by a surreal forest of hot pink, denuded trees

two glowing, mountainous acolytes chant mysterious messages generated by the titular Modern Guru

blending the mystical with the technological

the Modern Guru—a fantastical AI figure—prints cryptic messages

visitors navigate a labyrinth of bright, blinking slugs

as individuals pass through the yogi’s expansive arms, bell-like chimes acknowledge their presence

the two mountainous acolytes chant AI-generated messages

project info:

name: Modern Guru and the Path to Artificial Happiness
designer: ENESS | @studioeness
location: Royal Château de Blois, Loire Valley, France

photographer: Nicolas Wietrich | @nikoviet

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: thomai tsimpou | designboom