Hippos run the media

At Coachella 2026, a three-story art piece called “Network Operations” turned the festival’s field into a fake broadcast center staffed by hippos. (desertsun.com) The installation sits on the Empire Polo Club grounds in Indio during Coachella’s April 10-12 and April 17-19, 2026 run. Coachella’s official art page lists Dedo Vabo as a 50/50 partnership between artists Derek Doublin and Vanessa Bonet. (coachella.com 1) (coachella.com 2) Coachella’s art page says Dedo Vabo build worlds that mix sculpture, live performance and satire, and that this piece extends their long-running “Hippo Empire.” The same page traces earlier chapters to “Power Station” in 2013, “Corporate Headquarters” in 2015 and “Hazardous Interstellar Planetary Operations” in 2019. (coachella.com) That history explains why the hippos looked familiar to returning festivalgoers in 2026: this was not a one-off joke but a new chapter in a story Coachella has hosted for more than a decade. The 2026 work shifted the setting from energy, office and space themes to telecommunications and broadcasting. (coachella.com) (dedovabo.com) Dedo Vabo describes “Network Operations” as a “global, multi-conglomerate telecommunications and broadcast company” and says the piece reflects a “content-saturated age.” The group says the satire targets a system where media, telecommunications, data mining and artificial intelligence merge into one malfunctioning machine. (dedovabo.com) On-site reporting added the moving parts: the Los Angeles Times said Bonet watched over a mission-control monitor deck while a buzzing craft moved through the room. Festivalgoers watched the hippos through glass as the figures in wrinkled suits scrambled around the office above the Outdoor Theatre area. (latimes.com) The Desert Sun reported that the installation was interactive, with hippos running newspapers, podcasts, disc jockey radio frequencies and other media operations inside the structure. Photos and video published April 11 showed performers in masks acting out the work during Weekend 1. (desertsun.com 1) (desertsun.com 2) Coachella has long used large-scale installations as part of the festival itself, not just as decoration between sets. In 2026, Dezeen reported that “Network Operations” stood apart from the three other works in the formal arts program, giving the hippo project its own lane on the grounds. (dezeen.com) So the hippos were doing more than mugging for cameras. In Dedo Vabo’s version of Coachella, the desert had its own newsroom, and the anchors were already on air. (dedovabo.com)