The Wrong Type of Architecture

Kyle McKenzie

Jan 20, 2025

Operating under the pseudonym Jean Jacques Balzac (a playful nod to the famous writer, albeit with an irreverent "ball sack" twist), the full-time architect explores his art direction and visual language through a blend of traditional methods and A.I, Jean’s work is visually striking—complex, obscure, and dystopian—yet it continuously invites contemplation and sparks discourse.

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It’s both visually appealing and aesthetically ambiguous. Yet, it remains minimal enough to captivate architectural enthusiasts while staying obscure, provoking broader curiosity.

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Within contemporary architectural culture, there’s this ongoing debate about the "right way" versus the "wrong way" to approach design. The absence of foundational principles is increasingly overlooked in favor of financial gain. My conversation with Jean, whose dual practice bridges architecture and artificial intelligence, left me questioning whether such distinctions even matter at all.

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Kyle Mckenzie (KM): How do secrets make you feel?

Jean Jacques Balzac (JJ): Exciting.

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KM: Throughout your digital works, I've noticed there's a consistency and specific theme you're bringing across in each piece. It's always incredible to try to decipher. But your work always seems to blur between reality and chaos. Why is it that you feel strongly about maintaining this idea within your works?

JJ: I think there is something catchy in using visually beautiful images to speak about these themes. I wanted to see is it possible to have a clear narrative using new tools. Usually art that requires too much effort to understand and it doesnt get far. This is a specific moment in history , i would say. On one side we see our world being constantly modified by the needs of capitalism and people today are incapable of controlling it. On the other side there is this potential new knowledge that could be smarter than us. Is it a good or bad thing?

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KM: Well, you've been uploading a lot of cool imagery lately. And you seem to give your renders proper foundation and structure apart from their obscurity. Where are you based out of?

JJ: Paris, France

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KM: Nice, and what percent of your work is actually AI?

JJ: On instagram, everything is AI , except the ideas from my head :)

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KM: When people ask you - “what do you do for a living?"… whats your answer?

JJ: In real life I do architecture, and here it is more about exploration of a new medium of expression, exploring it’s capabilities and boundaries.

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KM: What was one of the earliest childhood experiences you had that blessed your photographic memory?

JJ: Making real photo with a real camera analog at that time came rather late, on the other side i loved making stuff, i didn’t have a lot of toys as kid so i was always making something.

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