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Absen LED tech forms backbone of AI art museum, in LA

More than 330sqm COB LED displays, including a walkable LED floor screen, form the visual backbone of Dataland, the world’s first AI-themed museum of fine arts, housed within Frank Gehry’s THE GRAND LA, in Los Angeles

Absen’s COB LED technology has been installed across the galleries of Dataland, the world’s first museum dedicated entirely to AI-driven fine art, in Los Angeles, delivering more than 330sqm of display in total, including a dedicated LED floor screen.

Built on chip-on-board technology, the displays embed LED chips directly onto the display substrate, intended to provide a seam-free surface, finer detail at close viewing distance, and the structural durability needed for a screen designed to be walked across as well as watched.

Dataland was co-founded by media artist Refik Anadol and his wife and partner Efsun Erkilic. Located within THE GRAND LA, the mixed-use complex designed by Frank Gehry in downtown Los Angeles, the museum spans approximately 35,000sqft, including five galleries totalling around 25,000sqft.

The museum’s inaugural exhibition, “MACHINE DREAMS: RAINFOREST”, is driven by the Large Nature Model, an AI system that transforms millions of images, bird songs and weather recordings into a continuously evolving, multi-sensory installation. Delivering the experience required display technology capable of rendering high-resolution, colour-accurate imagery across both wall and floor surfaces, withstanding continuous visitor footfall, and integrating into Gehry’s architecture without compromising the art or the surrounding space.

Blackbox, Absen’s value-added distributor for the project, supported delivery from design through to on-site installation, commissioning and after-sales support. The installation marks the latest chapter in a multi-year collaboration between Absen, Blackbox and Refik Anadol, whose previous projects with the brand include a fluid AI installation at a museum in Turkey in 2022 and illuminated vertical pillars inside the AKBANK headquarters lobby in Turkey in 2024.

Refik Anadol, co-founder of Dataland, said: “We have only processed permitted and clearly sourced data since 2020.” He has described the museum’s core mission as one to redefine the concept of art in the age of AI.

Laura Luo, president of Absen North America, said: “The entire museum uses high-definition LED screens to create a fully immersive experience, with seamless transitions and vibrant, delicate colour that completely reshapes the traditional gallery format. We are no longer standing outside the artwork looking in – we become part of it.”

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