Absen COB LED Displays Power Dataland, New AI Art Museum in LA
2026-10-07 · via AV Magazine
Absen has supplied more than 330 square metres of chip-on-board (COB) LED display across Dataland, a museum dedicated to AI-driven fine art that opened June 20, 2026 inside Frank Gehry's THE GRAND LA development in downtown Los Angeles. The installation is notable for operators because it puts COB LED into a role rarely seen in commercial deployments: a floor screen designed to be walked on continuously by visitors.
Dataland, co-founded by media artist Refik Anadol and Efsun Erkilic, bills itself as the world's first museum built entirely around AI-generated art. The venue covers roughly 35,000 square feet, with about 25,000 square feet split across five galleries and another 10,000 square feet given over to hardware infrastructure. Its opening exhibition, "MACHINE DREAMS: RAINFOREST," runs on what Anadol's studio calls the Large Nature Model, an AI system generating a continuously evolving visual and audio installation from large volumes of image, birdsong and weather data.
Absen's COB technology was chosen, according to the companies, because it embeds LED chips directly onto the display substrate rather than mounting them as discrete surface components. That construction gives a seam-free surface and tighter pixel detail at close viewing range, and it is the structural durability angle that stands out here: the same floor panels doubling as both display and walking surface is a specific engineering demand most signage deployments never face. The release does not specify pixel pitch, brightness, or which exact Absen product line was used, so operators evaluating COB for similarly demanding floor or near-field applications will need to follow up with the vendor directly.
Blackbox, named as Absen's value-added distributor for the project, managed delivery from concept through opening. The companies describe this as the latest project in an ongoing relationship with Anadol's studio, following an LED pillar installation at AKBANK's Turkey headquarters in 2024 and a joint booth at ISE 2025 in Barcelona. That pattern points to Absen positioning COB LED as a premium option for experiential and cultural installations rather than competing purely on price in standard retail or corporate signage.
For digital signage buyers, the Dataland project is less about a new product launch and more a reference case: a high-profile, architecturally integrated use of LED that combines wall and floor surfaces into one continuous canvas. The announcement does not disclose project cost, maintenance arrangements for the floor panels under sustained foot traffic, or expected lifespan figures, details that would matter most to anyone considering a similar deployment in a retail, hospitality or attraction setting.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from AV Magazine for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
By AV Magazine in Digital Signage and DOOH , Displays , Sponsored story , Visitor attractions October 6, 2026 0
Absen’s COB LED technology forms the visual backbone of Dataland, the world’s first AI-themed museum of fine arts, housed within Frank Gehry’s THE GRAND LA in downtown Los Angeles.
Dataland, co-founded by media artist Refik Anadol and his wife and partner Efsun Erkilic, opened its doors on 20th June 2026 as the world’s first museum dedicated entirely to AI-driven fine art.
Located within THE GRAND LA, the museum spans approximately 35,000 sq ft including five galleries totalling around 25,000 sq ft and roughly 10,000 sq ft of dedicated hardware infrastructure built to support its data-driven artworks.
Bringing large-scale generative art to life inside a landmark architectural space presented a distinct set of demands. The museum’s inaugural exhibition, “MACHINE DREAMS: RAINFOREST”, is powered 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.
Ultra-high-resolution Delivering that experience meant sourcing display technology capable of rendering ultra-high-resolution, colour-accurate imagery across both wall and floor surfaces, withstanding continuous visitor footfall, and integrating seamlessly into Gehry’s architecture without compromising the art or space around it.
To meet these requirements, Absen’s COB LED technology was selected across the museum’s galleries, delivering more than 330 sqm of display in total, including a dedicated Absen LED floor screen. Built on chip-on-board technology, it embeds LED chips directly onto the display substrate for a smoother, 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.
Blackbox, Absen’s value-added distributor (VAD) for the project, supported every stage of delivery, and that continuity of service was instrumental in ensuring seamless delivery from concept to opening day.
Multi-year collaboration The installation marks the latest chapter in a multi-year collaboration between Absen, Blackbox and Refik Anadol, whose previous projects with the brand include an illuminated vertical pillars inside the AKBANK headquarters lobby in Turkey (2024) and a joint exhibition booth at the ISE trade show in Spain (2025).
With Absen’s display technology at the centre of the experience, visitors to Dataland are immersed in artwork that shifts and responds in real time, supported by a low-carbon approach to both the AI model’s operation and the museum’s wider footprint. The result is a seamless fusion of art, architecture and technology that reflects Dataland’s ambition to redefine what art can mean in the age of AI.
“We have only processed permitted and clearly sourced data since 2020,” explains Refik Anadol, co-founder of Dataland, on the studio’s approach to working ethically with AI. He has described the museum’s core mission as one “to redefine the concept of art in the age of AI”, viewing the technology as a tool that unlocks new artistic possibilities rather than a shortcut around them.
“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,” says Laura Luo, President of Absen North America, reflecting on her visit to Dataland. “We are no longer standing outside the artwork looking in – we become part of it. It’s a completely new artistic perception, and I was genuinely moved by the experience.”
Absen Tel: +49 (0) 6105 718941 Email: europe@absen.com Web: https://www.absen-europe.com