DATALAND Deploys Riedel Bolero Intercom System

DATALAND, the world's first Museum of AI Arts, has deployed a Riedel Communications Bolero Standalone wireless intercom system to support secure communications between front-of-house and technical teams at its immersive museum in downtown Los Angeles.

Located within The Grand LA, the approximately 25,000-square-foot museum features five public galleries designed around multisensory art experiences. The new system provides staff with a dedicated, encrypted communications network to coordinate daily operations while maintaining the immersive experience for visitors.

DATALAND's inaugural exhibition, Machine Dreams: Rainforest, uses Refik Anadol Studio’s Large Nature Model, an open-access artificial intelligence system trained sustainably on ecological data, to create a continuously evolving environment combining visual, audio and sensory elements.

The galleries incorporate high-powered projection systems, large-scale LED walls and immersive audio, alongside visitor-worn sensors and scent-emitting collars that must be tracked, charged and sanitised throughout the day. Coordinating these activities across galleries, reception areas and the control room requires reliable communications that can operate discreetly within a visitor-facing environment.

Before the deployment, DATALAND relied on commercially available two-way radios for communication between rooms. However, the museum’s demanding acoustic environment and operational requirements highlighted limitations in audio clarity, volume, privacy and reliability.

The previous radios also operated on open, unencrypted channels, prompting the need for a more secure professional communications platform.

The Riedel Bolero system provides encrypted communications and is designed to maintain intelligibility in noisy environments, allowing staff to coordinate routine activities and respond to operational issues or emergencies.

Riedel supplied a three-antenna Bolero Standalone configuration supporting between 15 and 20 wireless beltpacks. Staff working in the loudest galleries are also equipped with Riedel TAC in-ear headsets to improve communication in high-volume environments.

The system’s Power-over-Ethernet design helped simplify installation in the building, where extensive steel and concrete construction presents challenges for conventional radio-frequency communications.

Battery performance was another consideration. The standard Bolero beltpack offers approximately 30 hours of operation, helping staff avoid battery changes during long shifts.

Riedel recommended the Standalone configuration rather than a larger matrix-based system, providing the required coverage, reliability and security without introducing unnecessary infrastructure.

Since installation, DATALAND staff have adopted the system, with operations teams learning to use it in approximately one day.

The team has made extensive use of Bolero’s page-recording feature, which allows staff to replay missed calls rather than interrupting colleagues to request that messages be repeated.

DATALAND also plans to expand its use of the system’s paging capabilities as its operations develop, including the ability to communicate directly with entire galleries.

The deployment illustrates the communications challenges associated with immersive cultural venues, where complex audiovisual installations and interactive visitor experiences require close coordination between technical and operational teams. The Bolero system provides DATALAND with a secure communications platform designed to support those demands while keeping staff interactions largely unobtrusive to visitors.

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