Monday 29 October 2012

Are you powerful enough to control the rain?





This weekend me and my friend, Chris, woke especially early on Sunday morning and headed to the Random International: Rain Room. The exhibition, known as the The Curve, only opened a couple of weeks ago, so it was no surprise that there was a snaking queue when we arrived.

Having read some reviews on this rather different piece of art, where you essentially control the rain, I was really excited to check it out. Doubly excited that it was FREE!

Open daily 11am - 8pm, we arrived before the doors opened. However, despite the queue not actually looking that big, we were told we were standing in an approximately two and half hour queue! Why did we still hang around? I'm not too sure! Luckily, with great company we were able to keep each other entertained with some rather interesting conversations: "Let's play a 'google game'...how many miles is it to Spain?...how many fish are in the sea". It seemed apart from an iphone, we were missing some key essentials for surviving the long wait. So my advice to you, take water for hydration, food for the energy required for standing for two and half hours, a book or an ipod (we lacked earphones) for anti-social entertainment. Trust me you will need it, and there isn't much around apart from an overpriced Costa coffee kisok.

Two hours in and my legs and bum began to ache. Time for a sit down and a little rest. 20 minutes later, and eventually it was our turn; excitement kicked in.

We were taken into a very large, high ceiling airy black room. As you walk around the corner, you soon come across the huge piece of digital-based contemporary art. In short, it's raining indoors.

It's not a common feeling to open your front door and happily walk into the rain, without an umbrella, so it was a little surreal when I took my first step into the down pour feeling excited. As you walk under the rain, it responds to your movements and you stay bone dry. Like magic.

For what was a very long wait, you only get to walk around the 100 square meeting field for approximately 10 minutes. But despite this, it is definitely worth the visit. If you decide to visit the Rain Room at the Barbican Centre at the weekend, just be prepared for a wait...


No comments:

Post a Comment