Wouldn’t you like to control the weather?
A new exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art magically allows just that. In the “Rain Room,” which opens tomorrow, visitors walk through a 100-square-meter room where 2,000 liters of rain pour from 56,000 nozzles above — all without getting wet. Wherever you walk, a dry area of 1 1/2 to 2 square meters forms around you. The result? A mesmerizing feeling of simultaneous immersion and isolation — with a bit of wonder thrown in.
The installation, situated in the West Lot as part of MoMA PS1’s Expo 1: New York festival, arrives via London, where a group of three artists who call themselves Random International premiered it.
So how does it work? Random International is coy, but admits that it’s run using industrial-grade 3-D cameras that track your movement.
“We’re not keeping it a secret,” says Hannes Koch, one of the founders. “We just don’t think it’s massively important. It’s more what it does that interests us.”
Six to seven people can enter the room at one time. Any more, and the room would be virtually rain-free. Just don’t walk too fast, or you’ll find yourself drenched. It’s all about the gravity.
“The whole installation paces you because of gravity,” says Koch. “The tracking switches off, but there will still be water in the air that you’ll run into. You can’t outpace gravity.”
And don’t worry about all that water going to waste. After the water falls, it’s collected in a tank, where it’s cleaned, treated and then recycled. The H20 footprint, Koch proudly declares, is equal to what it takes to make one hamburger.
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