Culture

Soak up in the magical downpour that is the ‘Rain Room’

Cloudburst

06.02.2017

By Gwen Ong

Soak up in the magical downpour that is the ‘Rain Room’

Imagine walking into a gallery where the water falls continuously all around you but you don’t ever get drenched. That is the Rain Room, an immersive light and sound installation created by Hannes Koch, Stuart Wood and Florian Ortkrass of the London-based collective Random International.

The Rain Room is equipped with overhead sprinklers and motion sensors that will turn off when visitors walk underneath. The surreal environment gives visitors a chance to experience a cacophonous interior downpour that includes sound and smell of the rain. This cool space uses close to 2,000 litres of water within a self-contained system where it is recycled and used throughout the entire run of the exhibition.

From London to New York and Shanghai, Rain Room’s recent run was at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Nearly 190,000 visitors have frolicked in the rain since its LA opening in November 2015. While the installation had recently just closed last month, Rain Room will be part of LACMA’s permanent collection moving forward with future exhibition dates to be determined.

“After Rain Room’s incredible success at MoMA in New York and its unprecedented 15-month run at LACMA, we are proud to donate this piece to LACMA’s collection, giving it a permanent home and continuing to inspire those who encounter it,” said Gary Friedman, Chairman and CEO of Restoration Hardware, whose company originally commissioned the exhibit.

There is no doubt Rain Room will continue to be a popular exhibit, take a look at this remarkable work of art:

 

A video posted by ZACK KALTER (@zackkalter) on

 

 

 

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