mnstr & AI have created a two-minute piece of visual splendour that integrates Maison Guerlain’s Flacon aux Abeilles (Bee Bottle) into its 170 year history and its possible future.
Nearly 1,800 images were generated from prompts inspired by Guerlain’s archives, which were then fed to an AI program custom-developed by digital studio Bonjour Lab. The film, Born in 1853. Made for the future, was unveiled on 12 June, 2023, and is being broadcast via Maison Guerlain social networks and digital platforms.
The project began with an in-depth study of art history and an extensive research of the Guerlain archives to place Flacon aux Abeilles in key moments in its history. Each of these moments, past and future, was then synthesised into a prompt by the mnstr team. This laborious but essential work underlines the importance of human input when working with AI.
At a time when concerns are being raised about the use of generative art tools for creative purposes – often to the detriment of artists – mnstr has decided to move away from a confrontation between man and machine, and instead consider AI as a creative ally. With this in mind, the agency has set out to establish clear guidelines for the use of generative art tools. It has drawn up three rules, paying homage to the three laws once decreed by Isaac Asimov, the famous Science Fiction writer and forerunner of artificial intelligence:
- Every image generated should be the result of a collaboration between humans and artificial intelligence: AI is never the sole creative force.
- Humans and AI should work together to elevate the artistic process to a level of creative excellence that they could not achieve on their own.
- Anomalies – characteristics of generative art – must not be erased. These are the hallmarks of original creative exploration.
Born in 1853. Made for the future is screening at the Vivatech trade fair in Paris, June 14 -17, in a new immersive format allowing visitors to explore the different eras and themes associated with each image generated.
“There are very few brands that can lay claim to an object that is timeless enough to span 170 years of history. We wanted to share this heritage, but through the prism of science fiction. In terms of format, we used AI. This allowed us to visualise the bottle through the great visual movements of history, but also because AI is the visual language of today. In terms of content, it is a journey through time, taking us back to its origins in 1853, as well as transporting us into the distant future… 170 years from now… allowing us to celebrate the Flacon aux Abeilles in surreal, highly original settings,” stated Louis Bonichon, creative director & co-founder, mnstr
“AI writes, codes and draws better than we do, that’s a fact. However, human input was essential in the creation of this film: to identify the key historical periods that shaped the reputation of the Flacon aux Abeilles; to clearly understand the art history references so we could feed precise instructions to the AI; to select the best quality visuals, etc.. In this respect, it was a true collaboration, one in which we played the role of artistic director rather than executor! AI may be getting a bad press at the moment, but we’re remain convinced that it is an interesting ally in our creative ambitions, provided we set ourselves clear guidelines to guard against the excesses we’re seeing today” added Martin Friedrich, strategic planner, mnstr.
“Guerlain’s history is deeply rooted into art history and broadly speaking the definition of beauty through time. Loyal to its ambition to treasure every artistic gesture, Guerlain couldn’t remain alien to the world of AI generative art and wanted to experiment with it, hand in hand with our creative excellence. The Bee Bottle’s 170th anniversary was a perfect opportunity to sublimate our rich heritage and project the Bee Bottle’s into the 170 years to come,” commented Ann-Caroline Prazan, international art, culture & heritage director, Maison Guerlain.
Credits:
Creative Agency: mnstr
Creative Director & Co-founder: Louis Bonichon
Deputy Managing Director & Partner: Simon Méchali
Strategic Planner: Martin Firedrich
Client Director: Sonia Ramdane
Art Director: Mathieu Chéroux
3D: Vincent Frossard
Studio: BonjourLab Interactive
Original music: Vincent Lagadrillière & superpose Studio
