Rain Room by Sharjah Art Foundation

Situated in Sharjah's Al Majarrah district, Rain Room is a permanent, purpose-built artistic pavilion created by the London/Berlin-based art collective Random International and commissioned in the Middle East by the Sharjah Art Foundation. Upon entering the darkened hall, visitors encounter a continuous torrential downpour of 2,500 liters of recycled water falling from the ceiling, illuminated only by a single powerful beam of white light. As you walk forward into the rain, state-of-the-art 3D depth cameras track your physical movement through the space, instantly commanding the computer-controlled nozzles directly above your head to cease water flow. The result is a dreamlike sensory experience where you are completely enveloped by the sound, smell, and sight of falling rain while remaining entirely dry. The work explores the relationship between human instinct, technology, and environmental control in an arid climate.