Recently Mister and I went to the L.A. County Museum of Art (LACMA) for a special exhibit: Rain Room. This timed-ticket event was something we decided to do without knowing what we were in for. Honestly, I didn’t bother to read much about it and only knew the basics as presented in a confirmation email I received a few days before our scheduled visit. Here’s what happened…
Upon arrival at LACMA, we were told the exhibit (Rain Room) was running a little late and that we could probably arrive at the entrance 10 minutes after our stated ticket time. So Mister and I decided to see the Mapplethorpe exhibit beforehand. (I had seen the photos already, but Mister had not. By the way, this exhibit is only on display through 31 July, so shake a tail feather and get yourself to Museum Row to see it!) Once we cruised through that, we made our way to the Rain Room entrance. We were only about 2 minutes behind our scheduled entry, but were told we were late! (Apparently, they had made up lost time since our arrival at the museum.) No worries, however, as we would be allowed entry with the next group in about 10 minutes. As we stood at the front of the queue, we started talking about how we had no idea what to expect. Rather suddenly, I found myself getting excited. The docent then began giving us instructions and pointers. We were told to move very slowly through the exhibit, as slow movement would interrupt the “rain” falling from the ceiling. We could expect to get a little wet, but not drenched. There would be a “dry” area all around the perimeter of the room. We were encouraged to take photos. And then we entered a long, dark hallway, where we were met by another docent. We could see a shaft of light coming from the main room and we could hear the sounds of falling water. And that was it. Once the second docent assessed the main room as being empty (of previous visitors), she allowed us entry.
The room was stark, lit by a single spotlight. The rain was pleasantly loud and cool. One by one, we all ventured into the downfall and experienced the magic of Rain Room.
This is my uneducated assessment, so please don’t judge. I’m thinking there were motion sensors placed throughout the room, and when triggered, they stopped the flow of water in the area of movement. This allowed visitors to walk through the “rain” without getting wet. One could stand in a single spot and turn slowly to see rain falling all around. It was magical and fun and cool. It was also beautiful.
But we did get wet. Think of it like this: when you turn off your shower, water still drips from the head. That’s sort of what happened in Rain Room. The flow of water stopped above a moving person, but the remaining water that clung to the ceiling couldn’t help but be affected by gravity. And so of course it fell. But it was a hot day and that water was super cool, so I didn’t mind. Plus, we rarely experience real rain in Los Angeles, so this was kind of a psychic treat. And I loved it. After a while, Mister and I decided we were rained out and we took our leave.
Rain Room will be at LACMA for a few months more and requires advanced ticketing. I encourage you to give it a whirl, if only for the kid inside you who remembers what it’s like to play in sprinklers in summer. It is lovely and it is calming. I’m so glad we went.