{Rain-lovers unite!}
Do you love the sound of a downpour at night? The sight of raindrops falling all around you, glittering against the light? Then the Sharjah Art Foundation’s Rain Room is perfect for you!
Located on Al Majarrah Square, the Rain Room is an interactive art installation created by artists Hannes Koch and Florian Ortkrass of Random International. After a suspenseful trip down a long corridor, Devina and I arrived inside the main Rain Room.
We were greeted by the sight of 1,200 liters worth of recycled rainfall … but as the guide explained, we could choose whether or not we actually got wet! The magic of the rainfall involved motion sensors that could gauge where we moved, as long as we walked or reached our hands out a tad slower than normal.
Originally launched at the Barbican in London, the Rain Room journeyed to the MOMA in New York as well as art museums in Shanghai and Los Angeles before moving to its permanent home in April 2018 to Sharjah, UAE. The installation was inaugurated by the rulers of Sharjah, His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi and Her Highness Shaikha Hoor bint Sultan Al Qasimi. The royal couple even took the first “walk” through the rain!
A couple of tips!
- Book a time slot on the Sharjah Art Museum’s website! Spots tend to fill up, especially when it’s melting hot outside.
- Wear a non-black outfit: it’s easier for the sensors to track you, and for your clothes to stay dry.
- Figure out which silhouettes you want to pose in: you only get 10 minutes in the room, so make it count!
We definitely enjoyed our time at the Rain Room! Let me know what you think of it on your next trip to Sharjah 🙂 Keep exploring! xoxo #nikitalyfe
#nikitalyfe 