FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Entertainment

The 'Rain Room' Arrives Where Rain Is Scarce: LA

It never rained in Southern California, until now.
Rain Room at LACMA by Tanja M. Laden

Rain Room is a hugely popular site-specific art-and-tech installation from London-based studio rAndom International in which visitors slowly walk through a room of falling water, yet (almost) never get wet. It drew long lines at the Barbican in London in 2012 and at MoMA in 2013, and now, Rain Room finally makes its debut in a place where rain is most needed: the West Coast.

Opening this weekend at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the installation is not only set to attract thousands of visitors, it’s also poised to generate a serious dialogue about the drought in California and social responsibility in the face of dwindling water supplies. At the press conference for Rain Room on Wednesday, LACMA’s director Michael Govan didn’t shy away from the issue.

Rain Room at LACMA by Tanja M. Laden

"Everyone will ask about the Rain Room and water,” said Govan. “This Rain Room actually uses a tiny amount of water. Just so you know, it's about 528 gallons. And to put that into perspective, an American family of four uses 400 gallons of water a day. So we're producing that much for the entire artwork. It's constantly recycled through the run of the show."

Rain Room at LACMA by Tanja M. Laden