RainRoom @ the MoMa
This morning at 5am we woke up to stand in a line. Yes, a line - that was almost an avenue long. But wait - there is more to say about this story... we actually went yesterday morning at 8am already. Thinking WE can beat the NYC system with the fact that we had a borrowed MoMa membership card. And then we very quickly realized that nearly everyone had the same plan as us - or, there are at least 8 million MoMa members. Either way, at 8am the line was 9 to 10 hours long. So we had to come back. So at 5am, with our blankets, couch pillows and Duane Read coffee we sat on the street together with at least 500 other people. There we skyped our parents and we did some online shopping. Anything to make the time go by quicker. To give you some perspective, we were not even in the front of the line since that meant that we would have had to be there at 3am already.
So what is this RainRoom and why do New Yorkers go to these extreme measures to experience it?
Random International’s immersive environment Rain Room (2012), a major component of the MoMA PS1 exhibition, is presented in the lot directly adjacent to The Museum of Modern Art. A field of falling water that pauses wherever a human body is detected, Rain Room offers visitors the experience of controlling the rain. Known for their distinctive approach to contemporary digital practice, Random International’s experimental projects come alive through audience interaction—and Rain Room is their largest and most ambitious to date. The work invites visitors to explore the roles that science, technology, and human ingenuity can play in stabilizing our environment. Using digital technology, Rain Room creates a carefully choreographed downpour, simultaneously encouraging people to become performers on an unexpected stage and creating an intimate atmosphere of contemplation.
How did it turn out for us? We eventually entered at 10am after a full 5 hour wait. And boy, was it worth every second! What an unbelievable experience! Now I guess, we can officially, and at last, refer to ourselves as true New Yorkers, because we've done the one thing which appears normal to most of "them", whether it's to sleep on the street for 3 nights to see One Direction on the set of the Today Show, or to see the Thanksgiving Parade or to get tickets for Saturday Night live. We've stood in a line for 5 hours to see one of the most popular, interactive exhibitions of the year without getting wet!
