The Rain Room Sharjah
We explore the Rain Room in Sharjah.
Located near the Sharjah Corniche, between the pedestrian-friendly Al Mujarrah Park and Al Aruba Road, the Rain Room Pavilion, designed in collaboration by Sharjah Art Foundation, SpaceContinuum Design Studio and Shape Architecture Practice + Research, was created specifically for the experience-oriented installation that it houses.
Created by Random International, the Rain Room installation provides an immersive experience of continuous rainfall. As visitors enter the room, they are directed to intuitively navigate the dark underground space in order to protect themselves from the downpour. As visitors walk through the room, which uses 2,500 litres of self-cleaning, recycled water (controlled through a system of networked 3D tracking cameras), their movements trigger motion sensors that pause the rainfall where their movements are detected. The artwork is said to explore humanity’s relationship with each other and with nature.