Sultan opens Rain Room project
The building provides an immersive experience of continuous rainfall
His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, yesterday inaugurated the Rain Room project in the presence of Shaikha Hoor Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President of Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF).
Designed by Sharjah Art Foundation, the Rain Room building, located in Al Majarah, near Buhairah Corniche in Sharjah, is a site-specific installation created by Random International that provides an immersive experience of continuous rainfall.
When visitors enter the room, they are directed to navigate intuitively through the dark underground space in order to protect themselves from the downpour. As the visitors walk through the room, which uses 1,200 litres of selfcleaning, recycled water, their movements trigger motion sensors that pause the rainfall.
During their visit to the Rain Room, the Ruler of Sharjah, Shaikha Hoor and several dignitaries were briefed on its working mechanism. Dr Shaikh Sultan then inaugurated the new artwork.
The building done in a simple design stretches over an area of 1,460 square metres. The Rain Room was launched at The Curve, Barbican, London (2012) and then presented at the Museum of Modern Art, New York (2013), Yuz Museum, Shanghai (2015) and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2015—2017).
The Rain Room is now permanently and exclusively housed in the Middle East through the efforts of the Sharjah Art Foundation.
Lauding the Sharjah Art Foundation, Shaikha Hoor said the Rain Room is an exceptional art experience in the emirate of Sharjah.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Shaikha Nawar Bint Ahmad Al Qasimi, Director of Development at Sharjah Art Foundation, Abdulla Al Owais, Chairman of the Department of Culture, Mohammad Obaid Salem Al Zaabi, Director of the Sharjah Department of Protocol and Guesthouses among others.
1,200 litres of water give an experience of continuous rainfall
1,460 square metres is a area over which the project is built