Visit Rain Room Sharjah

About this activity

Random International’s immersive installation Rain Room (2012) invites you to walk through a downpour of continuous rain without getting wet. The responsive environment follows visitors as they navigate the darkened underground space, preventing the rain from falling directly above any detected human presence.

This site-specific installation uses 2,500 litres of self-cleaning recycled water, which is controlled through a system of networked 3D tracking cameras. The work explores how humankind’s relationships to one another and to nature are increasingly mediated through intangible technologies.

Founded in 2005, Random International is an art group based in London and Berlin. Their work, which includes sculpture, performance and large-scale architectural installation, explores the human condition in an increasingly mechanised world through emotional yet physically intense experiences.

Sharjah’s Rain Room marks the Middle East premiere and the first permanent installation of this project by Random International. The work has previously been on view at the Barbican, London (2012); MoMA, New York (2013); Yuz Museum, Shanghai (2015) and LACMA, Los Angeles (2015–2017).

The Rain Room building in Sharjah has been designed by Sharjah Art Foundation and the UAE-based SpaceContinuum Design Studio in collaboration with Shape Architecture Practice + Research, Sharjah.

Opened in May 2018, Rain Room is part of the Sharjah Art Foundation Collection and the first of a series of artist-designed permanent spaces.