At Gucci Chengdu, a fantasy world comes to life through groundbreaking use of AI

Random Studio create a three-storey digital installation that transports visitors to an ever-evolving landscape

Through the magic of AI, the architecture of Renaissance Florence and the mountainous landscape of Chengdu merge into an ever-changing new world in Gucci’s stunning installation at its store in Chengdu, China. Created by Random Studio, the installation uses 33 huge LED screens, reaching the entire height of the three-storey store, to immerse visitors in a painterly dreamlike scene that evolves from morning to night. The installation perfectly reflects the essence of Gucci, steeped in rich history yet always looking to the future.

When Gucci approached Random Studio, renowned for creating groundbreaking installations around the world, the fashion house had a vision that was close to impossible: to make a permanent but always changing environment. Gucci wanted visitors to the store to experience a view into a world that only exists in this spot, drawing on both the architecture of Florence, Italy, the birthplace of Gucci, and the breathtaking wild scenery of Chengdu. The team at Random Studio realised this was an opportunity to use AI technology in the design process in an unexpected way, pushing the creative collaboration between humans and AI to its limits to create a unique experience.

“The scale of the architecture we were working with, and therefore the screens we would use, meant we had to look at using an automated approach to produce the huge amount of footage we would need,” says Random Studio’s Technical Director Larix Kortbeek. “The ‘remixing’ that AI does was a perfect fit. The environment we were creating makes reference to these real locations, combining them into a new landscape.”

AI works by using text instructions to generate images. Tell it what you want to see and based on those instructions the software pulls elements from countless digital images to generate a new image it believes matches the user’s request. Creating the Gucci installation was not as simple as telling the AI software to combine Florence and Chengdu. The team at Random Studio spent a great deal of time refining the AI to produce imagery that faithfully reflected the real locations that inspired the project.

“AI can be random,” says Kortbeek. “It’s like training a wild animal.” Early results showed images that might pass for Florence and Chengdu to the inexperienced eye, but didn’t have the authenticity required. “Both our clients in Chengdu and Florence have a deep understanding of their environments. On the Florence side, the AI was originally generating the wrong kind of architecture. On the Chengdu side, we encountered the bias of AI around one core visual element, the hibiscus flower. The native hibiscus in Chengdu is quite different from the American hibiscus, which is much more familiar on the internet and therefore more present in pre-existing AI prompts. It required a lot of refinement in the form of research, architectural drawings and curation to make sure it was accurate.”

The AI was just the beginning of the process. The AI would generate static images and animations that were then manually animated and combined with other traditionally animated elements. From many complex layers, the artists built a world where giant butterflies drift past grand villas and mountains rise and fall against a dramatic sunset. The final result is an installation that combines AI and traditional techniques in a way never seen before on this scale in a retail setting.

“AI image generation is about as big as the invention of photography,” says Kortbeek. “It works best when it’s a collaboration with humans. A lot of work went into connecting the scenes together and making a story, as well as post-processing the footage. Working in this way creates an interesting interplay between AI and human creativity.” The installation captures the elegance of Gucci and proves what is possible when pioneering artistic minds meet bleeding edge technology.

Team:
Concept, Creative Direction, Art Direction, Design, 3D Design, AI Production: Random Studio

Random Studio Design Team
Technical Director: Larix Kortbeek
Senior Art Director: Finnan Barry
Creative Director: Geoffrey Lillemon
Creative Technologist: Hugo Bruvy
Producer: Dominique Rokebrand

Videography and Photography: Random Studio