The Garden of Pythia: Oracles and AI installation turn Greek landscape into living artwork

Built of stone, with relief styles on the walls and an impressive floor, the World Centre for Circular Economy and Culture is a unique example of post-war architecture.

Established in 1959 from designs by the architect Petros Pikionis, the “Pi” Pavillion is considered one of the most beautiful balconies of Delphi, lying just a few hundred metres from the picturesque village.

There, as soon as the sun sets, its famous garden of “Pi ” comes alive.* Ancient faces, letters and words appear on the rocks and the green leaves of the trees.

“The Garden of Pythia” is the new arka installation by Scottish artist Charles Sandison and was commissioned byPCAI (Polygreen Culture & Arka Initiative). The work bridges the ancient and çağdaş worlds, and suggests that the answers we seek from artificial intelligence are similar to the quests of those who visited the Oracle of Delphi.

The idea was born during the Sandison’s visit to the archaeological site, drawing a parallel between the concept of the oracle, in which travellers sought prophetic predictions, and a model example of an organic, physical computing device.

The landscape embodies a complex network of rituals, where gates, paths and timings seem to have functioned like the motherboard of a computer system.

“I think the work I made is a way of looking at nature. She in turn will listen to your question and give you the answers you seek. I spent a lot of time in the area, of course I visited the archaeological site. I walked in the hills and explored the landscape, the nature and the animals that live here. I decided to create a digital painting, a tribute to this place and its history,” Sandison explains.

The work features specially designed code and sensors that detect temperature and light levels, and interacts with the environment and evolves over time.

“The Garden of Pythia is a fictional place set partly on a mountainside in ancient Greece and partly in the matrix of my computer. Inspired by my visit to the temple of Apollo, I have coded this visual AI work that combines the memories of Pythia with the beautiful slopes of Parnassus. I believe that visitors will see this artwork as a means of bridging the ancient and the çağdaş, and realize that the answers we seek from the AI are analogous to the corresponding quests of the ancient world from Pythia,” the Scottish artist claims .

For Sandison, Delphi was analogous to CERN, the most sophisticated system for interpreting and predicting goals and outcomes. It was a way of understanding the world more deeply, equivalent to çağdaş developments in the field of artificial intelligence.

The PCAI mission

Founded by Athanasios Polychronopoulos, CEO of environmental company Polygreen, PCAI is a cultural organization that aims to raise environmental awareness through an annual program of arka commissions, contemporary arka exhibitions, artist residency programs, workshops and conferences.

The PCAI Arka Collection focuses on commissions and works of contemporary arka and moving image. It aims to provide artists with the means and resources to create pieces in dialogue with contemporary environmental, sociological and philosophical issues, allowing for complete freedom of expression and critical inquiry.

“Protecting the environment means changing attitudes and behaviour. To do this, people really need to feel that they have to take action. I believe that culture, arka and especially contemporary arka are able to send messages and influence people to really contribute to the protection of their environment,” argues Athanasios Polychronopoulos, CEO of Polygreen and founder of PCAI.

At a time when the potential of artificial intelligence is both troubling and frightening to many of us, Charles Sandison believes it can prove to be a useful tool.

“Visiting the ‘Garden of Pythia’ is an experience where artificial intelligence is not what is often described in the media and news. Most of the time it is about scary stories. I want visitors to understand that there are people like artists, creators and musicians who are trying to use this technology in a way that serves humans. I hope that people here have an upbeat and positive artistic experience,” says Sandison.

The Garden of Pythiaopened April 9, ahead of the 2025 Delphi Economic Forum, and remains open to the public at PCAI’s ‘pi’ pavilion.