Rain Room
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''Rain Room'' is a 2012 experiential artwork by Hannes Koch and Florian Ortkrass of
Random International Random International is a London-based art collective and collaborative studio, founded in 2005. The group shot to prominence with its interactive ''Rain Room'' art installation. Its work includes sculpture, performance and large-scale architectura ...
, which found its first permanent installation in
Sharjah Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area. Sharjah is the capital o ...
,
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
in 2018. The piece had previously shown in a number of international art venues, including New York's Museum of Modern Art (
MoMA Moma may refer to: People * Moma Clarke (1869–1958), British journalist * Moma Marković (1912–1992), Serbian politician * Momčilo Rajin (born 1954), Serbian art and music critic, theorist and historian, artist and publisher Places ; Ang ...
) and London's
Barbican A barbican (from fro, barbacane) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer fortifications, defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes. Europe ...
.


Description

''Rain Room'' allows visitors to the installation to walk through a downpour without getting wet. Motion sensors detect visitors' movements as they navigate through the darkened space, becoming "performers in this intersection of art, technology and nature". This site-specific sound and light installation uses 2,500 litres of self-cleaning recycled water, controlled through a system of 3D tracking cameras placed around the ceiling. The cameras detect a visitor's movement and signal groups of the water nozzles in the ceiling, stopping the flow of water in a roughly six-foot radius around the person. Founded in 2005, Random International is a London-based collaborative studio for experimental and digital practice within contemporary art. Their work, which includes sculpture, performance and large-scale architectural installations, reflects the relationship between man and machine and centres on audience interaction. Sharjah’s ''Rain Room'' is the work's Middle Eastern debut and the first installation of the project in a purpose-built, permanent structure. The work was previously shown at the Barbican, London (2012); MoMA, New York (2013); Yuz Museum, Shanghai (2015);
LACMA The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 1961, ...
, Los Angeles (2015–2017) and MoCA Busan, Busan (2019).


Sharjah

Sharjah Art Foundation The Sharjah Art Foundation ( ar, مؤسسة الشارقة للفنون) is a contemporary art and cultural foundation based in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates, founded in 2009 by Hoor Al Qasimi, daughter of Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, a me ...
constructed a purpose-built visitor centre located in the city's residential area of Al Majarrah to house the permanent installation of ''Rain Room'', with up to six visitors at a time taking fifteen minutes to explore the experience. Tickets are sold online for scheduled visits and cost Dhs25 for adults. Opened in May 2018 by Ruler of Sharjah Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi together with Shaikha Hoor Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, president of Sharjah Art Foundation, ''Rain Room'' is part of the Sharjah Art Foundation Collection and the first of a series of artist-designed permanent spaces planned for Sharjah. At the Sharjah inauguration, Koch and Ortkrass commented, "That Rain Room has found a permanent home at Sharjah Art Foundation is a humbling thought. The organisation harjah Art Foundationis unparalleled in its approach to art, exhibition-making and relationships with a wider public audience."


Previous installations

Kate Bush (curator), Head of Art Galleries, Barbican Centre, said: "The Curve has previously played host to guitar-playing finches, a World War II bunker and a digital bowling alley. Random International have created a new work every bit as audacious and compelling – Rain Room surpasses all our expectations." "At the cutting edge of digital technology, Rain Room is a carefully choreographed downpour – a monumental installation that encourages people to become performers on an unexpected stage, whilst creating an intimate atmosphere of contemplation. The work also invites us to explore what role science, technology and human ingenuity might play in stabilising our environment by rehearsing the possibilities of human adaptation." ''
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'' described ''Rain Room'' at the Barbican as "one of the most popular art installations of the past few years. It was incredible, featuring endlessly dripping water that magically avoided you as you walked through it." Despite being dubbed "Wildly successful" at the Barbican, ''
Business Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...
'' reviewed the ''Rain Room'' at MoMA as "Not worth the wait", their reviewer having spent over three hours queuing for a ten minute 'experience'. However,
Gizmodo ''Gizmodo'' ( ) is a design, technology, science and science fiction website. It was originally launched as part of the Gawker Media network run by Nick Denton, and runs on the Kinja platform. ''Gizmodo'' also includes the subsite ''io9'', whic ...
called it a "blockbuster" and "the kind of installation that museums dream of".{{Cite news, url=https://gizmodo.com/inside-the-rain-room-walking-through-a-downpour-withou-504516482, title=Inside the Rain Room: Walking Through a Downpour Without Getting Wet, last=Campbell-Dollaghan, first=Kelsey, work=Gizmodo, access-date=2018-07-18, language=en-US


See also

*
Interactive art Interactive art is a form of art that involves the spectator in a way that allows the art to achieve its purpose. Some interactive art installations achieve this by letting the observer walk through, over or around them; others ask the artist ...


References

Installation art works Interactive art Sharjah (city)