Artist Refik Anadol sees the current moment in art history, with artificial intelligence rapidly ascending yet stirring controversy, as nothing short of a revolution. “I think we are literally in a renaissance,” he says with characteristic optimism, noting that we just haven’t found the right name for it yet. Anadol, celebrated for his technological installations that delve into the fascinating relationship between humans and machines, certainly has plenty to be enthusiastic about.
On June 20, Dataland, the groundbreaking downtown Los Angeles gallery he co-founded with studio partner Efsun Erkılıç, swung open its doors to an eager public. Billed as the world’s first “museum of AI arts,” Dataland welcomed an astonishing 10,000 visitors to its opening exhibit within the first two weeks alone, Anadol confirmed to WIRED. This immediate success underscores a significant public appetite for what cutting-edge AI art can offer.
Dataland’s Vision: Ethical AI Art
At the heart of Dataland’s debut is Anadol’s most ambitious work to date: an immersive architectural spectacle titled Machine Dreams: Rainforest. This exhibit features interactive digital displays that dynamically respond to visitors’ movements and biometric data, which are tracked by specialized wearable devices. The result is an ever-shifting tapestry of images and soundscapes, all derived from Anadol’s unique Large Nature Model.
This powerful AI system was meticulously built using vast natural science archives from prestigious research institutions like the Smithsonian. Anadol proudly explains that his team spent three years developing their own AI models from scratch, using proprietary datasets. They even journeyed to the Amazon and other rainforests to personally capture 5 petabytes of raw data, which now fuels the model’s “hallucinated” versions of these vital environments.
Anadol emphasizes Dataland’s commitment to ethical data sourcing, ensuring all information was collected with the explicit consent and participation of researchers. This stands in stark contrast to many major Silicon Valley AI firms, which have faced considerable backlash and lawsuits over accusations of unlicensed and extractive use of creator content for their training data. Furthermore, Google DeepMind has provided Dataland with access to “experimental low-energy” resources, allowing the gallery to operate on Google Cloud with impressive “sustainable compute.”
An Immersive Journey into Machine Dreams
Dataland is more than just a gallery; it’s a living laboratory challenging conventional notions of “AI art,” a phrase often dismissed by critics as merely “generative slop.” Anadol readily acknowledges the public’s skepticism, understanding that for many, “AI art” conjures images of simple prompt engineering or fleeting eight-second clips. Dataland, however, aims to showcase grander possibilities, proving there’s more than one option.
Entering Machine Dreams: Rainforest is an experience unlike any other, beginning with a waiver, a specialized app, and the fitting of a smartwatch and a U-shaped plastic collar—a biosensor. As these devices calibrate, the shoulder harness releases a striking scent, instantly transporting you from a hypermodern building to the heart of a forest. It’s an immediate, profound sensory shift that primes you for the journey ahead.
The largest gallery unfolds as a vast, empty space, save for a few pillars, with ultravivid fusions of nature scenes and intricate computer-chip textures dancing across the walls and floor. This 40-minute cycle of dynamic effects constantly shifts, partially dictated by the movements of everyone in the room. During a simulated heavy rain sequence, each visitor is encircled by a watery footprint that streaks across the floor as they walk, while waving a hand can even alter the path of digital raindrops.
Anadol explains that while you can explore as a “ghost” without the biosensors, these modified medical-grade devices allow visitors to imprint themselves, however temporarily, upon the artwork. “For almost 5,000 years, we as humanity, we look at artworks and we feel something,” he says. “At Dataland, as a laboratory of imagination, our first deep question is: Can artwork feel us back?” This interactive feedback loop creates an unparalleled sense of connection.
Beyond the Main Exhibit: Exploring AI’s Depths
Beyond the primary rainforest experience, Dataland continues to innovate. The Infinity Room invites visitors to soar with a glittery hummingbird over a fantastical neon forest, a breathtaking flight reminiscent of aerial acrobatics from the Avatar films. Nearby, the Latent Gallery offers a fascinating peek behind the curtain of the Large Nature Model, allowing visitors to scroll through the training data by category.
Clicking “Frogs,” for instance, transforms the wall into a massive grid of frog photos that informed the model, demystifying the algorithms at work. Anadol sought to reveal the profound wealth of information underpinning the surreal permutations generated by the installation, with the Smithsonian’s Encyclopedia of Life alone supplying data on over 2 million species. This transparency helps visitors understand the intricate foundation of the machine’s “dreams” or “hallucinations.”
This focus on “hallucination” is key, consciously differentiating Dataland’s debut from the hyper-realistic AI-generated images and deepfakes that contribute to misinformation. Anadol describes it as “a machine that falls in love with nature,” where visitors can smell, taste, and hear millions of impossible bird songs within the machine’s dreams. While the model incorporates scientific libraries and real-time weather data, the constructed environment is, in most respects, wonderfully alien and imaginative.
Finally, the Sanctuary, a concept Anadol has developed over several years, offers a unique closing experience. As a group enters, the collective biometric information from each individual—heart rate, skin temperature, tour path, speed—is compiled to generate a swirling, abstract 3D representation of the room’s combined energy. This unique, ephemeral visualization is never seen again, underscoring the transient and personal nature of the data.
Anadol notes that the gallery consistently uses “emotion as an input,” and he has been particularly thrilled to observe the biosensors frequently picking up on visitors’ goosebumps. He considers this an “incredibly relevant” sign that the exhibit’s sensory biomes are profoundly affecting those who pass through. “The artwork can feel this information,” he asserts, recounting seeing people moved to tears, joy, and excitement. “And I think, if that’s not art, what is art?”
Such powerful responses are precisely what will sway skeptics unconvinced that creative arts have anything to gain from artificial intelligence. Anadol himself views AI not as a shortcut, but as an incredible tool for rediscovery. “This is all about being human at the end, not about AI,” he concludes, emphasizing that while the technology is powerful, the message, context, and meaning of Dataland are fundamentally about the human experience.
Source: Wired – AI
