There is still a mysterious auratic energy in the sacred precinct of Delphi in Greece. In what is now an archaeological site, the ancient Greeks built a sanctuary famed for its oracle, the Pythia, who delivered prophecies from Apollo, the god of music, healing and light. Considered the center of the world in Greek mythology, the site once held immense religious, cultural and political significance. Now a new project, promoted and funded by the Greek cultural organization Polygreen Culture & Art Initiative (PCAI), seeks to revive those ancient energies with a series of site-specific commissions by contemporary artists—works that reflect on Delphi’s layered history and invite a more harmonious, reverent relationship with the environment. The first of these, launching on April 13 to coincide the Delphi Economic Forum, is The Garden of Pythia, a site-specific installation by pioneering digital and multimedia artist Charles Sandison, whose immersive works deftly blend language, artificial intelligence and generative art.
Observer caught up with Athanasios Polychronopoulos, the founder of PCAI and a passionate patron and collector with a sharp focus on new media and digital art, to learn more about this enlightened commission that bridges the past and future. He founded the nonprofit in 2014 to promote environmental awareness through an annual program of commissions, contemporary art exhibitions, artist residencies, workshops, conferences and sponsorships. Both PCAI’s and Polychronopoulos’s own art collection are centered on supporting commissions and acquisitions of moving images and contemporary works. He aims to provide artists with the time, tools and freedom to create pieces that grapple with urgent environmental, sociological and philosophical concerns. “I want to speak with the artist, interact with them to develop meaningful projects that inspire environmental awareness, in whatever form the artist wants to frame them,” he told Observer.
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Inspired by the famed oracle of Delphi and deeply integrated into the site’s natural surroundings, Sandison’s immersive artwork blends historical imagery—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 explained in a statement. His dynamic, algorithm-driven projections shift in real time, reacting to variations in light and temperature thanks to custom code and sensors—further collapsing the boundary between technology and the natural world. In this way, Sandison uses A.I. not only to revive the site’s rich past but also to examine its layers through the language of natural phenomena. “I hope visitors will see this artwork as a way to bridge the ancient and the modern and understand the answers we seek from A.I. are the same as we asked from Pythia.”
Sandison draws a pointed parallel between the ancient oracle’s intelligence and that of the A.I. systems we now rely on—observing that in ancient times, an intricate choreography of rituals was embedded in the landscape, comprising a series of passages, gates, pathways and timings that functioned much like the logic board of a computer or an analog network leading to a central intelligence. To some degree, the oracle operated as a kind of organic, proto-computational device pilgrims turned to with questions about their personal and collective fates.
“You can feel the energy when you’re there,” said Polychronopoulos, elaborating on his desire to share the message that Delphi still holds enlightenment—particularly for artists who arrive open to being moved by the site’s power. “When you stand in this place, you feel the energy and the beauty of the view, which motivates you to do something for the planet.”
For this project, PCAI renovated and will culturally activate the former Pikionis pavilion, a historic structure in the Delphi archaeological site. Now renamed the Global Centre for Circular Economy and Culture or simply pi, the space will become a venue for a series of site-specific commissions operating at the intersection of new media art and environmental awareness. Alongside Sandison, PCAI has also commissioned Greek sound artist Kostadis Michail to create a sound installation for the pavilion that was likewise inspired by the idea of Delphi’s unique cultural legacy.
Polychronopoulos developed an interest in art and began collecting almost by chance. One day, while visiting the Stedelijk Museum, he encountered a work by Mike Kelley and fell for it. When he returned to Greece, he immediately started reaching out to local artists. Soon after, he commissioned his first work, which was created for a United Nations project in Georgia that dealt with hazardous waste. Polychronopoulos, for those unfamiliar, is the CEO of Polygreen, a network of companies that delivers innovative waste management and waste-to-energy solutions. One of its most notable accomplishments is the Just Go Zero initiative, which transformed the Greek island of Tilos into a zero-waste destination.
Dealing professionally with the tangible consequences of endless material production, Polychronopoulos was naturally drawn to artworks grounded in the immaterial and ephemeral—namely, moving images and digital art. In conversation with PCAI’s artistic director, Kika Kyriakakou, Observer learned that the PCAI Collection is primarily commission-based and includes a substantial body of video and new media works, as well as collages, sculpture and photography by artists such as Linder, Sophia Al-Maria, Basel & Ruanne and Greek performance pioneer Leda Papaconstantinou, as well as internationally recognized names like Wu Tsang and Mika Rottenberg.
One work created by Linder during a PCAI residency is currently featured in “Danger Came Smiling” at the Hayward Gallery in London, and PCAI supported Serapis Maritime at this year’s Sharjah Biennale. The organization has collaborated with institutions including the British Council, Serpentine, São Paulo Biennial and the Venice Biennale and is also a nominator for the Earthshot Prize.
“I want to get back through this way, supporting artists and contemporary art to pass a message of beauty and protecting the environment,” said Polychronopoulos, adding that he wants to expand these commissions to other archaeological sites across Greece. “We want to connect the model and the technology and the A.I. with archaeological sites. These are the places where the energy has always been and still is. We want to revive that and bring people back over there to use modern tools to keep these places relevant.”
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