Rain Room by Random International, 2012, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, © Random International, photo courtesy Random International

Rain Room: All About the Water

Rain is finally here in Southern California! Rain Room opened on November 1 and is already drawing art lovers from around the region. This immersive installation by the art collective Random International features continuously falling water, creating a cacophonous interior downpour that pauses wherever a human body is detected. 

Given the state of persistent drought in California, you might be wondering about the installation’s use of water. Random International designed the piece to reuse water, and LACMA has worked closely with them to ensure that we are using the water responsibly. 

Here are the details:

• Rain Room uses approximately 528 gallons (2,000 L) of water within a self-contained system, and the same 528 gallons are recycled and used throughout the entire run of the exhibition. 
• For comparison, the average American family of four uses 400 gallons of water per day. The common quarter-pound hamburger requires 450 gallons of water, and a lone cotton shirt gulps 650 gallons of water.
• The water used in the installation was supplied through LACMA’s water main, which is filtered as it circulates through the work. Every week, professional water inspectors test the water’s health. 

Visit this extraordinary installation, which is on view at LACMA through March 6, 2016. Due to high demand, advance tickets are highly recommended. No need for an umbrella, but leave the high heels at home.

 

A photo posted by Los Angeles County Museum of Art (@lacma) on Oct 28, 2015 at 6:42pm PDT

First visitor to Random International's Rain Room at LACMA: John Baldessari. Photo by LACMA Director and CEO Michael Govan