ENESS, a Melbourne-based studio dedicated to blending art and technology, has been awarded the 2024 FRAME Exhibition of the Year for its innovative exhibition Modern Guru and the Path to Artificial Happiness. The installation captivates visitors with its advanced inflatable platforms brought to life through insightful storytelling and artificial intelligence.
At the heart of the exhibition is the character Modern Guru, who interacts with visitors by dispensing AI-generated wisdom upon detecting those who photograph it. Through a mystical journey, the exhibition explores “modern paths” to happiness while raising questions about wisdom, spirituality, and fulfillment in the age of AI.
A Global Artistic Journey
This bold and creative project has been reconstructed for seven different cultures as part of a global tour, with more exhibitions in the pipeline. The experience is carefully restructured for each location and market to ensure its message remains impactful while continuing to push the technical and artistic boundaries of the medium.
As the world responds to ongoing developments in artificial intelligence, the exhibition’s narrative evolves to explore new areas of speculation, such as the impact of AI on artists. Currently on display at Château Royal de Blois in France’s Loire Valley, the exhibition now includes a new feature addressing AI’s environmental footprint, reflecting contemporary media concerns.
Since its debut at the Centre d’art à Châteaugiron in France, the mystical journey through “modern paths” to happiness has grown threefold, culminating in a 1,000-square-meter installation in Taiwan. The next exhibition in Thailand will feature an extensive narrative, an AI game, and talking characters. The original 10-meter-tall characters, Yogi and Forest Dancer, symbolize creative freedom in the modern world and are alternated depending on the parameters of each new venue.
Inflatable Materials as Tools of Expression
The six-meter-wide, LED-adorned skirt of Forest Dancer is balanced through the interplay of geometry and carefully calculated air pressure. As visitors walk through its arms, motion sensors trigger a bell-like chime, and every seventh visitor receives an extended ornamentation.
Sun God was developed for the third exhibition. Perched atop a long inflatable tongue that represents its voice, Sun God surveys the installation. This feature, consisting of 50 individual inflatables, is sturdy enough to support multiple visitors simultaneously ascending its width to meet the deity.
Contrasting the free-spirited Forest Dancer, Wayward Forest comprises a cluster of felled trees, evoking an eerie atmosphere akin to forests in folklore. It raises questions about the future of AI and its implications for humanity. “AI doesn’t care about sentience. To AI, a tree is a form to manipulate,” explains ENESS artist and founder Nimrod Weis. “As sentient beings, we grasp the profound significance of trees, and in this way, Wayward Forest reflects our current concerns about AI.”
Throughout the exhibitions, the main character, Modern Guru, remains a translucent oval with four large digital eyes floating atop a ceremonial LED ring. Absurd messages flow from its mouth, offering insights into the true nature of lived experience. For visitors inclined to photograph instead of simply experiencing the moment, the character delivers AI-generated messages such as:
“Dare to admire what no one else admires.”
This profound statement reflects on the source of wisdom in an AI-driven human future, encapsulating the exhibition’s central themes.
Sustainability and Artistic Vision
ENESS’s use of inflatable materials raises important questions about sustainability in large-scale exhibitions. The entire 1,000-square-meter installation is built from inflatable materials to minimize rigid materials and reduce transportation distances. Every part of the exhibition fabric is recycled through a plastic recycling company, broken down, and repurposed into raw plastic for textiles and product packaging.
A Vision for the Future of Art and Technology
Modern Guru and the Path to Artificial Happiness stands at the intersection of art and technology, posing critical questions about humanity’s relationship with AI. While offering visitors a captivating visual experience, it also invites reflection on how AI might shape our future.
Modern Guru and the Path to Artificial Happiness can be viewed at Château Royal de Blois in the Loire Valley, France, until January 5, 2025.
