Random International’s Rain Room returns to Shanghai at the end of the year
“Everyone knows what rain is since early childhood. How would it feel to be entirely surrounded by it but protected from it at the same time?” questioned Hannes Koch, a member of Random International.
“Rain Room” opens from September 21 to December 31, presented by Random International, a British art group that creates contemporary art. The members of the group, Hannes Koch and Florain Ortkrass, explore the interactions among environment, technology, and humans. Living in the post-digital age, Random International also creates art that examines the relations between changes in people’s physical experiences and various notions of perception and consciousness.
Since 2012, Random International’s “Rain Room” was presented at the Art and Technology initiative in London, England. After gaining support from the public, Koch and Ortkrass showcased their work in New York in 2013, and Shanghai in 2015. Excitingly, the “Rain Room,” along with a new exhibition called “RANDOM INTERNATIONAL: Everything and Nothing” returns to Shanghai in this year!
After walking through a short passageway inside the museum, the viewers finally arrived at their final destination: the Rain Room. The excited viewers and constant sound of raindrops make the room tranquil and loud at the same time. Before entering the actual room, people were informed to walk slowly in order to have the best experience with the rain.
After several minutes passed, the viewers were allowed to enter the room. At first, most of the viewers got wet; however, as they got used to the pace of the camera sensor, they began to enjoy the rain falling down on the ground, and the sound of thousands of drops of water. A lot of people made various poses and took pictures to record their wonderful and precious experience.
As a matter of fact, Random International stated that the construction of the rain room serves for another purpose. In the room, the rain stops as people walk passed. On the other hand, if they walk too fast, they sensor could not detect them and the viewers get wet. Living in a commercialized world with advanced technology, people start to believe that they could control the society. However, it is actually the opposite. While people can control many aspects of their lives, they can not control nature.
“The Rain Room is a paradigm of technology and how fragile we are in this moment of progress. We think we can control [the weather, the future, and the elements] but we cannot,” stated Klaus Biesenbach, a chief curator.
The Rain Room is an unforgettable exhibition. The viewers in Shanghai are looking forward to works created by Random International.
Featured Image “A Typical Rain Room Scene”Photo Courtesy of Selina Tai
by Selina Tai